The Ferret Who Knew Too Much
by iheartgod175
Summary: Yuuno Scrya's life comes crashing down the day someone gives him what he thinks is a harmless to-do list. Said to-do list has an assassination plot as one of the errands. Thrown into a world of danger, secrets and murder, Yuuno must make a choice: share the knowledge that could possibly kill him, or remain silent and let his friends take the bullets. Revised Chapter 8 up!
1. The Beginning of Yuuno's Problems

Iheartgod175 presents:

_The Ferret Who Knew Too Much_

Published: December 5th, 2013

Rating: T (for violence, murder and emotional trauma)

Summary: Yuuno Scrya's life comes crashing down when a woman named Mrs. Froy gives him what he thinks is a normal to-do list. Said to-do list happens to contain plans for an assassination. Yuuno at first is in doubt, until Mrs. Froy is murdered by two famous art-collectors, the assassination is revealed to be against one of his closest friends, and he's blackmailed into keeping silent. Now caught up in this scheme, Yuuno must use the dangerous knowledge he possesses to stop this assassination before it's too late...

Author's Note: Wow. This is new. Completely departing from the lighthearted Dear Nanoha Fans, I present to you a mystery in lieu of Alfred Hitchcock-with Yuuno as the "innocent man involved in crime". Will I continue it? Not sure. It depends on how many reviews you leave. I really do watch too many mystery films...

Disclaimer: As before, I don't own Nanoha. It belongs to Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs. If I did, I would put Yuuno and Chrono in more roles.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Yuuno's Problems

The whole thing started with Chrono walking in with his usual, impossible demands.

"I need this one, this one, this one, oh, and that one, before your shift is over," the admiral said.

Yuuno stared at the sheet, and then at Chrono like he'd just come from outer space. "That's over a hundred different books!"

"It's only two extra from yesterday." The admiral shrugged. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Don't you think that maybe I have other things to do?" Yuuno asked.

"Of course not. You don't have a life, after all. Now get to work, ferret boy," Chrono said, and walked away.

"This is just great. I was just planning to get off from work, too…" Yuuno got up from the desk, and went into the back to start sorting through the number of books that Chrono needed. One of these days, he was going to find a way to pay Chrono back for this...

Right when he was starting to pick up the first three off of Chrono's list, the doors opened and Arf peeked inside.

"Yuuno, there's a man waiting to see you. He says that it's urgent that you come out here right away," she said.

Yuuno sighed. At this rate, he'll never get anything done. "I'll be there in a minute," he replied tiredly. Placing the books on top of a chaotic stack of paperwork, he walked out of the back room to greet his new client.

The man standing in front of the desk wore something more akin to a secret agent, complete with a fedora, a black trench coat, and sunglasses. He looked up when Yuuno made his way over.

"Hello sir. How may I help you today?" he asked in his best professional voice.

"I've come to pick five books that I reserved three weeks ago. December the ninth, I believe." The man's voice was deep and hollow.

"December the ninth...Ah!" Yuuno snapped his fingers as he remembered. "I did set aside some books on the Saint Kaiser for a man named Atenza..."

"Yes. Atenza Polonez, to be exact. I'm kind of in a hurry, so could you get them for me?" he said.

"Of course. I'll be back in a moment," Yuuno said, and dashed into the back room to pick up Polonez's order. Despite him nodding distantly, Yuuno could tell that the man was somewhat antsy with how much he seemed to pull at his sleeve and looking up at the clock with a groan.

He looked over the counter, and yelled, "Hey Blondie! Hurry up, will ya? I don't have all day!"

He wasn't lying when he said he was in a hurry, Yuuno thought bitterly before chuckling at the derisive nickname. It was, at least, better than ferret-boy.

When he brought the books out and told him when the due dates would be, Polonez hardly noticed. He tossed a few coins on the table, grabbed the books and walked out before Yuuno could finish his sentence.

"Well, that guy sure was weird. I'm not getting a very good vibe from him," Arf said. Her face was twisted into a frown.

"I agree. But now that that's taken care of, I need to take care of these books that Chrono asked me to get," Yuuno said, heading into the back.

"How many books did you get?"

"Three."

Arf smirked. "Looks like someone's going to be working overtime~"

Inside his office, Yuuno groaned. "Don't remind me."

* * *

The whole thing continued later on in the day when Yuuno decided to take a break.

"I've already found a little over half of these books," he declared, groaning as he stretched. "I should at least take a half-hour to eat lunch." With that, he got down up from his chair and walked out to leave the building.

No sooner had he made it around the desk than he felt something crumple under his shoe. He looked down to see a small sheet of paper sticking out under his right foot. He bent over to pick it up...only to see another hand reach down to pick it up at the same time.

He looked up, surprised, and found himself staring into the eyes of danger.

This danger happened to have deep, ocean blue eyes, blond ringlets around her head, and an hourglass figure. Clad in a pink dress that came above her knees, she looked like a harmless, typical dumb blonde- at first. But the eyes that stared into his was proof that this lady was no innocent angel.

"Pardon me," she purred, her words making him melt like butter, "but I believe that this is mine."

"O-Oh, uh..." Yuuno hurriedly straightened as though he had a spine ailment. "S-Sorry. I was just picking it up, is all."

Her mouth curled into a mischievous smile. "That was very...thoughtful of you, Mr. Scrya."

He blinked as the words rolled off her tongue. "Y-You know who I am?"

"Of course. Everyone in my elite circle knows who you are," she replied. "Your research has certainly made a splash with the history buffs."

"H-Honestly, that's not really my best work..."

"You're far too humble. On the contrary, I think that it's the best you've ever done," she continued. "You should be proud."

If Yuuno went any redder, he would more than likely explode from the heat. "T-Thank you..." he muttered, scratching his cheek nervously. "Ms.-"

"Ah, it's Polonez. Mariel Polonez," she said.

"Wait, so that means you and Atenza are siblings, right?" Yuuno asked.

"Yes. How did you know?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Uh...facial connections, I guess," he replied.

"Well, tonight, we're having a dinner party with several other famous archaeologists tonight, and I happened to drop this grocery list," she said. "You don't mind if I run off now, do you?"

"Uh, n-no! No, not at all!" he replied. "I wouldn't want you to get held up because of me..."

"Well, Mr. Scrya, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you around," she said, giving him a very coy look that said, 'You don't know it yet, but you're mine.'

And with that, Mariel sauntered out of the room, leaving an utterly bewildered librarian in her wake.

When the doors closed, he suddenly remembered that ten minutes had passed before he had to be back on duty. Regaining his composure, he threw on his jacket and ran out the door.

* * *

When he came back from his break, he found another person standing at his desk. This person was a short woman who carried a huge suitcase that had papers sticking out of it. Judging by how she was looking about to and fro, Yuuno could only assume that the woman was lost.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I-"

He was quickly cut off when she ran up to him and shoved a receipt-sized paper into his hand. Her brown eyes looked into his with an anxious urgency.

"Please tell Mr. Scrya when he returns from his lunch break to read over this. It'll be worth his time, I can promise you," she said.

"Miss, I'm Mr. -"

"Please, mister! It's really important for him to see! I would like to give it to him myself, but I've got a train to catch!" She hauled her suitcase up and started charging towards the door. Once again, Yuuno was left standing in the middle of the floor flabbergasted.

"Geez, it's like everybody's in a hurry," he muttered, walking back to the office. He looked on the table that was holding seventy of Chrono's 104 books.

"34 more to go..." Yuuno thought to himself, and tossed the sheet of paper on the desk...but that was when he saw something that made him stop and turn around. He went over to the table to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

The receipt that the woman had given him seemed to be some sort of grocery list. Why she said that it would be worth his time was a mystery to him. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to see what the fuss was about, so he started reading.

_To do list:_

_1. Gather the rest of the ingredients for dinner party._

_2. Host dinner party._

_3. Head home with Atenza._

_4. Discuss, finalize and review assassination plot._

_5. If any time is left, go for a movie._

"...Wait, what?" That was all Yuuno could say when he was finished reading the list. Nobody he knew-especially a bombshell like Mariel-would have assassination plots on their "to do" lists; and then have the nerve to follow up with a movie. This had to be some sort of joke.

But then he started to remember what had happened the last few hours. Atenza's dodgy behavior. Mariel's dangerous, oh so fascinating personality. The frantic woman who'd been there not even ten minutes ago.

It was all starting to make sense now. The Polonez siblings were more than just attractive people; they were assassins.

And he'd just let one of them walk out of his office.

His face paler than the sheet in his hand, Yuuno set himself to work at a feverish pace, managing to get all the books down at a speed that would make Fate envious. The whole while, he couldn't help but think of that grocery list.

That woman had been right. That thing _was _important for him to see.

But he got the feeling that maybe he wasn't supposed to see it at all.

* * *

"...Is this some kind of joke, ferret-boy?" Chrono asked, looking at him with an incredulous stare.

Yuuno couldn't help but smile. "Nope. I got all the books you asked for at the end of my shift, plus a few extra."

Chrono stared at the massive pile of books towering before him, and swore under his breath. "Next time, I'll drive you into the ground," he growled as he started to pick up the books.

Yuuno went over to shut down his computer, but that's when he noticed a new message in his inbox. He hardly if ever got mail from anybody, so he clicked on the message. It was from a person named "eyeluvart34"

_From: Melissa Froy_

_To: Yuuno Scrya_

_Subject: SOS_

_Mr. Scrya, in case you don't recognize me, I'm the lady who came in looking for you. You know, the one who looked so lost. It was only after I left that I realized who you were. I must apologize, but I didn't have any time to explain while I was at the Library._

_The 'grocery list' that I handed to you is a copy of Mariel's. These people are not who you think they are. They are assassins, part of an underground ring of criminals who want to kill the higher ups at the TSAB. They know I know about their plot; I'm a spy sent from the TSAB. That's why I'm on the run. I need you to do me a favor and get in contact with one of the admirals there. They'll be able to take care of the situation. Please take care of this matter quickly. I'd hate to learn that my news was for nothing._

_Thanks._

_Melissa Froy_

Yuuno felt cold. And not because of the heat being turned off in the room. Froy's message had pretty much confirmed it. It had confirmed everything.

"Yuuno...are you alright? You look sick." Chrono looked over at the librarian, who was paler than a ghost. Despite his own problems with the man, Chrono did consider Yuuno to be a good friend of his.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay," Yuuno lied, quickly shutting off the email. He turned to Chrono and gave him his best fake smile. "There's nothing to worry about."

Chrono didn't seem convinced. "You look like a dead man walking."

_As far as I'm concerned, I am one_, Yunno thought bitterly, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Really, Chrono. I'm fine." Shutting off the computer, Yuuno gathered up his things and headed to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And thus, it was sealed with another message not meant to be seen.

* * *

The man was thrown against the side of the wall, gasping for breath as he had the wind knocked out of him. His attacker picked him up and shoved him up against the wall, a knife pressed under his throat.

"What were you thinking?" the other man growled. "Allowing her to escape? She could have passed out information about us on her way out!"

"I-I-I'm sorry, Boss, I wasn't thinking!" the man pleaded.

"We can see that." The second voice definitely belonged to a female, her voice dripping with honey. "But we haven't come to talk about a stupid spy who escaped. She's being taken care of right now."

"Well," the man snapped, "did you get the money, or not?"

The second man started sweating. "Look, I know I've been running short, but I...you don't understand. There were these other guys that I had to pay back..."

"You've wasted our time. And that is something that I don't take lightly."

He released the man, and the girl behind him pulled out something from her purse. Sweat trickled down the man's chin as he saw the silver flash of a gun.

"I'm afraid this is the last time we'll be working together, Jacks. But before you go, Mariel wants to give you your present."

Mariel Polonez pointed the gun directly at Jacks' forehead. "Merry Christmas, Jacks."

And then she pulled the trigger.

* * *

Yuuno stopped when he heard the gunshot that ran out through the street. Foregoing all safety, he took off running down the street, hoping to find out what had happened.

He turned the corner...and stopped when he saw the people in front of him.

Atenza. And his sister. They were currently walking out of an alleyway, possibly from where he'd heard the shot. A trickle of blood made its way down the cracks in the sidewalk.

Atenza scoffed. "What an amateur. I hope you weren't planning on keeping him as one of your boy-toys, Mariel," he said.

"Of course I wasn't. Why do you keep saying that?" she retorted.

The two walked across the street without so much as looking in Yuuno's direction. They went into an apartment complex not too far from the alley, silent as the night.

Yuuno stared at their retreating forms before numbly continuing on his way home. He climbed up the stairs to his apartment, unlocked the door and stepped inside his darkened house. He turned on the hall light before closing the door.

As the events of the day flooded his mind, Yuuno slumped to the floor and buried his head in his hands.

"I am so screwed," he said weakly.

That he was.

* * *

So, how was that? I think I did pretty well for my first attempt of the mystery genre. Criticism is welcome, but no flames please.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and please read and review!

God Bless, iheartgod175


	2. Dial M for Murder

**Disclaimer: I don't own Nanoha, okay? I do, however, own a couple of Alfred Hitchcock movies, which were the inspiration for this story.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Dial 'M' For Murder

Yuuno awoke laying on the floor, sore and cold. He blinked and sighed as sunlight streamed through his apartment window. How long had he been sleeping on the floor, he didn't know. But he did know that unless he really wanted Chrono to have his head on a platter, he had better get up and head to work. Groaning as he stretched, he got up and went into his bedroom, getting his clothes and heading into the shower.

Twenty minutes later, just as he stepped out dressed in his light green dress shirt, someone knocked on the door. Yuuno hurried down the hall when the knocking became a pounding.

"Don't people know how to use doorbells anymore?" he groaned, unlocking the door and letting it swing open.

He couldn't believe who he was seeing.

The woman from yesterday, Mrs. Froy, was standing in his doorway, her huge bag over her shoulder. She looked like she'd woken up, realized she was late, threw something on, and drove here like a madwoman, if her messy hair was of any indication.

"Mrs...Froy, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry I had run out on such short notice, Mr. Scrya, but uh...I ended up missing my train," she replied. She rubbed her hands over and over, looking nervous. "May I come in?"

"Oh, sure!" Yuuno stepped aside for the woman to come in, and directed her to the couch. "Can I get you anything? I've got coffee and donuts if you'd like."

"Coffee, please. And make sure you put lots of cream in it," she said. Nodding, Yuuno soon made his way into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Ten minutes later, Yuuno walked out with two cups of coffee, French Vanilla cream, and his own plate of steaming hot eggs and toast. He handed Mrs. Froy her coffee and dug into his breakfast, realizing how hungry he was. It would be a few minutes until Mrs. Froy started speaking.

"I bet you're wondering why I've come to see you," she started.

"For a moment, I thought that either of the Polonez siblings had caught up to me," he admitted.

"Don't worry. I haven't seen them since this morning, when they were on their way to the train station," she said.

"...So, did you really miss your train, or did you decided not to take the trip?" he asked.

Mrs. Froy stiffened, as though his question had been a slap to the face. After a dreadful pause, she nodded slowly. "You could say I...changed my mind," she answered simply. "To be more honest, I was actually being followed on my way there. It was one of the snipers that Atenza hired."

Yuuno nearly choked on his coffee. "They sent _snipers_ after you?"

"What can I say? I am a spy, after all. I know things that they don't want the police to know about. Especially the information that I released to you," she said.

"I have a question, Mrs. Froy. Who exactly is getting assassinated? I need to know, because some of my friends are in the TSAB," Yuuno asked.

Mrs. Froy sighed. "That is something I would have to divulge in secret, Mr. Scrya. Otherwise, it could cost me my life."

"I see..." Yuuno decided to try another loophole. "Well, can you at least tell me their rank, or their occupation? I could then figure out something."

"Well, I guess I could-"

The doorbell rang before she could finish her sentence. Yuuno was puzzled.

"That's odd. Nobody really uses the doorbell around here," he said.

At the sound of movement behind him, he turned to see Mrs. Froy hurriedly grab her things and run into the spare bedroom.

"If that's who I think it is, I want you to tell them that you don't know who I am. If you don't, you could be in big trouble," she said. "As in...you could _die._"

Yuuno gulped. "I don't think I want that." Sighing, he picked up the other mug of coffee, put it next to the coffee machine, and went to answer the door. Mrs. Froy ducked into the guest bedroom.

Atenza was standing there, apparently texting on his phone. When he looked up, he seemed surprised to see Yuuno.

"Oh! Top of the mornin' to ya, Blondie," he said, tipping his hat in mock salute.

Yuuno cringed at the nickname. "Good morning, Mr. Polonez. And how are you?"

"Fine, fine. Listen, do you know a person by the name of Melissa Froy? She's an employee of ours, and she hasn't been back for over a week," Atenza said. "We got a tip from someone who said that they'd seen her come up here. Have you seen her by any chance?"

"Sorry. I haven't heard of a person by that name," Yuuno said, putting on his best "casual" face. "I know all of the neighbors here. You can ask them."

"I've already asked. They said that they don't know anyone by that name, either." Atenza scratched his chin. "Maybe I should check at the other apartment complex. Sorry for bothering you, Blondie."

"By the way, it's Yuuno, not Blondie," Yuuno said tiredly.

"Sure thing, Yuuno-kun," he said. With a tip of his hat, he turned and walked down the hall. It took all of Yuuno's self-control for him not to slam the door.

Once he heard the footsteps disappear from below, he turned to the guest room. "Alright, he's gone," he said.

Mrs. Froy walked out, looking very annoyed. "It's amazing how easy he can come up with those lies. I'd never work for those creeps even if I were homeless and it was the last job on Mid," she said.

Yuuno chuckled. "You and me both." As he started to gather his things together, he turned to his guest. "Hey, uh...will you be alright by yourself, Mrs. Froy? I mean, you are a wanted person now-"

"Mr. Scrya, I've been trained with a particular set of skills, some of which would put some of those magic users to shame." She grinned wickedly. "I may be old, but I can still pack quite a punch. If anyone tries to break in, I can handle them."

"If you're sure..." Yuuno still had a gut feeling that told him he should stay home, but the woman was confident that she could handle herself. And he did have to get to work or else Arf would get Nanoha to drag him into work again, all the while telling embarrassing things.

Were it not for Arf's quick thinking, Yuuno may as well have become a shut in.

Pushing down his raging doubts, he said goodbye to Mrs. Froy and made his way out to work.

* * *

"...Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Nope."

Yuuno stared at the sheet of paper that had been left on his desk when he'd gotten there only a few minutes late. Chrono really did have a bad habit of just walking in to make his requests whenever he wanted. Whenever Yuuno wasn't there, Chrono usually left a slip of paper with his requests.

Today, it was no different...except that Chrono had tripled the number of books to over 350.

_"See if you can top this before your shift's over, ferret boy. Chrono."_

Yuuno took one look at that before promptly slamming his head into the desk. Today was not going to be easy...

* * *

The whole thing continued when Yuuno overheard Arf telling Fate about what had appeared in the papers.

"Are you and Teana looking into this?" Arf asked.

Fate nodded. "So far, it looks like a clean, professional kill. Whoever did this was very skilled in using a gun," she said.

"But, weapons like this have been banned for the last few centuries! Who would have access to a gun like this?" Arf asked.

"I'm not sure...but we're going to be visiting every weapons dealer in the area and see who purchased this," Fate said.

Yuuno couldn't keep silent about the matter any longer.

"Fate, I know exactly who did this," he said, turning to the Enforcer.

Fate blinked, completely caught off guard. "You do? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked.

"I, uh...I was completely shaken after I saw them. The last thing I wanted to do was to relive that," he said. This was as truthful as he could be; he hadn't really seen the murder, but he knew who the shooters were.

"Well, could you tell me who they are?"

"It's Atenza and Mariel Polonez, the art collectors who have that art collection in Cranagan," he said.

Arf stared at him like he'd come from the moon. "Come on, Yuuno. You've made some pretty crazy theories before, but this is just ridiculous."

"How is it-"

"Atenza and Mariel are well known around Mid-Childa as world-class art collectors. What are they going to do, make an art out of murdering people?" Arf said.

"You never know, Arf. Evil can come in many different forms," Fate said. She turned back to Yuuno. "So, did you actually get an upclose view of the crime?"

"No. I heard a gunshot, and I ran towards where I heard it. I was halfway home when I saw Atenza and his sister talking about how the man they'd just killed was such an amateur. They left for an apartment complex not too far from where I live," he said. "Calling the police was the last thing on my mind..."

"I understand that you were shocked, but it would've saved us a lot of trouble if you had told us directly," Fate said.

"S-Sorry..."

"Don't be. We'll make sure to get in contact with the Polonez siblings as soon as possible," she said.

"Thank goodness for that," Yuuno said. "I was beginning to feel guilty for everything that had happened."

After confirming his statement again, Yuuno and Arf said goodbye to Fate and continued with their duties. Before she left, Arf called out, "I can't believe you were actually at the scene of the crime, Yuuno."

"Neither can I. But now I can forget about the whole thing," he said, heading into the back to get more of Chrono's books.

Neither librarian nor familiar noticed the black shadow that crept out from behind the bookcases and went outside...

* * *

Mariel sighed, staring up at the small apartment that her brother had just walked into. It hadn't been until this morning that they realized that Froy hadn't been on the train, and that she was still somewhere in the city. If they didn't catch her, their entire plot would be ruined.

Just then, her brother came storming from the back door, looking like a wild bull. She could already guess his answer.

"No one there, huh?" she asked.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" he shot back, letting out an angry breath.

"We need to find that old woman and fast. Who knows who she could be giving information to?" she said.

Before Atenza could reply, someone shouted their name from across the street. Both siblings turned around to see their contact rush across the road, nearly getting hit by a moving car as he ran up to them.

"What are you doing here? We told you to stay at the Infinity Library!" Atenza snapped.

"You won't believe what just happened there!" the contact said. "Enforcer Harlaown was there, talking to that Scrya dude you were talking about."

"And?"

"It turns out he saw you walk out of the alley," he said. "He told that to her."

Atenza let out a stream of obscenities that would make even the most hardened sailor blush. Mariel, though, remained deadly cool.

"Well, that takes care of one thing," she said.

"What's that?" Atenza panted, having just run out of anything else to say.

"I've just found out where our dear Mrs. Froy is," she said. "Where did you say Mr. Scrya's apartment was, brother?"

Atenza smirked. "Follow my lead."

* * *

Yuuno found himself unable to concentrate. His mind, for some reason, kept running on Mrs. Froy, and all the stuff that he was currently trying to push away from his mind. The feeling of dread was beginning to come back into his stomach, to the point where it almost hurt him to walk.

Could this be a sign that something bad was going to happen?

"Hey, ferret boy."

Just when his day couldn't get any worse. Chrono waltzed in, looking satisfied with himself. "I see you couldn't get all the books at the end, after all."

"Well, I probably would have, but I got distracted," Yuuno replied. "I do have other customers to help during the day, you know..."

"Ah, it's no big deal. I'm just doing this to tick you off, anyway."

Yuuno stared at Chrono like he was insane-which, to him, may not be an exaggeration. "What kind of a friend are you?"

"Not a normal one, that's for sure," Chrono replied.

"You got that right," Yuuno muttered, turning back to his computer. He was currently sending a few important files into his flash drive-one of them being Mrs. Froy's email.

He then became aware of a pair of eyes burning into his back. "Can you not stare at my emails, Chrono?"

"I just happened to see a sentence that started with 'I'm a spy from the TSAB' so I'm trying to see what else it said," he replied.

Yuuno hurriedly clicked off the email, hoping that Chrono didn't see anymore than he already had. "I-It's nothing that you need to see," he lied. "Nothing important."

Chrono, however, wasn't easily fooled. "It was certainly important for the subject to be 'SOS'."

Yuuno sighed. There went his hopes of keeping this secret from Chrono.

"So, who is this Melissa Froy person, and why is she sending you a message about assassins and spies?" Chrono's face was clear of its usual sarcasm.

Yuuno sighed. "Well, to be honest, there have been some weird-"

A loud rock tune exploded into the room, startling both Admiral and librarian. Yuuno smiled sheepishly as he pulled out his cellphone and answered it.

"Yuuno Scrya speaking," he said.

A scream responded, followed by a massive crash. There were heavy footsteps and then another crash as whoever was in the background was tearing up things like a wild animal.

"Yuuno, are you okay?" Chrono stared at him with a vaguely disguised look of concern.

"I-I'm not sure..." Yuuno stopped talking when he heard someone answer.

_"M-M-Mr. Scrya, are you there?!" _

Yuuno leapt from his seat at the voice. "Mrs. Froy! Are you alright? I heard all of the commotion and-"

_"Never mind all that. Someone's trying to break into your house!" _

"W-Who?"

_"Who do you think? They must've gotten smart and figured out where I was. Whatever you do, Scrya, don't come over he-"_

Her voice erupted into a scream as someone rammed into something. Various sounds of a struggle filled Yuuno's ears as Mrs. Froy was being attacked.

"Mrs. Froy! MRS. FROY!" Yuuno yelled. "Where are you?! Answer me!"

The phone picked up again. But it wasn't Mrs. Froy who answered.

_"Well, well, well. I'm surprised you actually care about this deadbeet. She doesn't deserve to live, and neither do you, after all the crap you two pulled."_ Atenza._ "First, tricking me to believe she wasn't there, and then witnessing a murder that we committed. But I'll let your precious Froy live, Blondie, on one condition. Do you have any emails from her in the last few hours?"_

Yuuno swallowed. "N-No, no I don't," he lied. "I never got anything from her."

There was a pause, and then Atenza said, _"See, sis, he can be reasonable. Continue with the operation."_

"WHAT?!" Yuuno's shout reached octaves higher than his normal voice. "You said that you would let her live!"

_"Oh, about that? I lied."_ Atenza chuckled. _"We were already planning to kill her anyway, since she's stolen plenty of information from us. Shoot her, Jasper."_

There was a scream of protest from Mrs. Froy, and then a loud gunshot filled Yuuno's ears. He let out a yelp as he heard a sickening thud, letting him know that she'd been shot.

There was a pause and then Mariel chuckled on the other end.

_"Heh, I knew you looked girly, but I didn't know you could scream like one. If you're that squeamish, you shouldn't have gotten involved in this. But know this, Yuuno Scrya-we'll be watching your every move. You so much as call the police, and you're getting a bullet to the head. Got it?"_

Yuuno let out a small, traitorous whine in response. "Y-Yes..."

_"Good. I'd hate to kill more people than our intended target. I'll be seeing you around...Blondie."_

And then the phone went dead.

* * *

Okay, I've decided to go ahead and put up another chapter for this story. As el-f1 otakugamer pointed out, this is actually the first time someone other than Fate was involved with a crime story. I decided, "Hey, why not have Yuuno and Chrono as the main characters here?" There's hardly any stories about them anyway.

Each chapter title will be titled after a few famous Alfred Hitchcock movies, or after episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. This one is called 'Dial M for Murder' for a good reason. And if you couldn't tell, The Ferret Who Knew Too Much is a play on The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Happy Reviewing, and God Bless,

iheartgod175


	3. Blood On My Hands

**Okay, the title isn't from an Alfred Hitchcock movie...but it could be!**

**Disclaimer:...Do I need to say more?**

* * *

Chapter 3: Blood On My Hands

"Yuuno! Yuuno, what's going on?" Chrono watched the librarian, who looked like someone had just stepped over his own grave. His face was pale as he stared at the phone in his lap, his green eyes lifeless and leaking tears.

"I...I knew I should have stayed home," he muttered. "I had the feeling something was wrong...and I just left like everything was alright! I let her die!"

"Yuuno, what are you talking about?!"

"I've got to get home," he said suddenly, and started hastily grabbing things. "I have to find out what happened to her..."

Chrono grabbed Yuuno's arm just before he could leave. Yuuno stared at him like he was crazy.

"Do you mind, Chrono? I've got to get home! Something bad could have happened to someone I care about!" Yuuno said.

Chrono sighed. "Yuuno, talk to me here. What's going on?"

"If I told you, you would be a dead man walking...just like me," Yuuno replied simply. His response earned him look of shock from the admiral. "I don't have much time. I've got to go home."

"...Well, if it helps, mind if I come along? I've got some time to kill before I get home," Chrono said casually.

Yuuno, however, wasn't stupid. He saw the hardened look in his eyes and knew Chrono wasn't going to leave him alone until he got some answers. And he knew that it took a lot to dissuade the Admiral when he was concerned.

All in all, it was a lose-lose situation.

"...Do what you want, Chrono. You're the one calling the shots," Yuuno said bitterly.

_Calling the shots..._He grabbed his coat and staggered out of the office, Chrono not far behind. The door slammed shut behind them.

* * *

_(Yuuno's Apartment)_

Mariel set the note down on Yuuno's desk, admiring her handiwork. "Do you think that'll get the point across to him, in case he does come back?"

"I think Mrs. Froy'll get it across." Atenza pointed to the bloody splotches on the wall where she'd been shot. "I wish we could've seen the look on his face. It would be a real Kodak moment."

"Hey, I think someone's comin'!" Jasper yelled. The sound of footsteps coming to the door set both siblings on alert. Atenza stood at the door, while Jasper held his hand on the doorknob.

When Jasper flung the door open, they were met with the sight of a little old man hobbling along in the hall. He turned to see them, and would have passed them by had he not seen Atenza's weapon.

"What the-" The man had no time to say anything as Jasper lunged forward, grabbed him by the shirt, and slammed him into the wall. There was a sickening crunch, and then he fell to the floor. Jasper leaned over the man, breathing heavily as he surveyed his work.

"Jumpy today, aren't we, Jasper?" Atenza smirked.

"Shut up," the hitman replied. "Let's get to the van before anybody shows up."

"Yes, sir," Atenza said mockingly. With a nod to his sister, the trio made their way down the emergency stairs.

Just as the door closed behind them, the elevator doors down the hall hissed open, revealing Fate T. Harlaown, Teana Lanstar and Arf. Fate and Teana were still dressed in their uniforms, even though the day was already over.

"Fate, do you think Yuuno's home?" Teana asked. "Arf did say that Chrono gave him a huge order to fill..."

"I just wanted to drop by and see how he was doing. He seemed a little out of it when I talked to him earlier," Fate said as they walked down the hall. What she saw made her stop.

The door to Yuuno's apartment was slightly ajar, and an old man face down on the floor. As the three ran over to him, Fate also caught the smell of something metallic.

"Ugh..." The old man on the ground struggled to sit up, and Arf and Teana pulled him into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" Teana asked.

The man blinked, and then looked at her for a moment. "I am now, thank you," he said. "I hope you can take care of those creeps that were in that apartment over there."

"Inside that one?" Arf asked, pointing to Yuuno's room.

"Yep, that's the one. There were three of 'em. The first one was some short guy, no older than 30. The second was a guy in a tan overcoat. The third one was definitely a woman. Beautiful one too. They all looked like they had something to hide," the man explained.

"I see...do you know who did this to you?" Fate asked.

"It was the short one. I happened to notice that the guy in the overcoat had a gun. Before I could turn around, the little guy knocked me senseless," the old man said. "Sorry, I couldn't stop 'em for you, ladies..."

"That's alright. We'll make sure to catch them as soon as possible," Fate assured him.

"...By the Kaiser." Everyone's heads snapped to attention when they saw Teana standing in the doorway of Yuuno's apartment, her hand on the doorknob. The color had drained from her face, and her mouth dropped open.

"Teana, what's wrong?" Fate asked, leaping up from the ground and coming over to her.

The Enforcer Aide's lips quivered as she turned to her superior. "I don't think you're going to like this, Fate-san..."

* * *

The drive back to Yuuno's apartment was a silent one, as Chrono had pretty much given up on getting Yuuno to talk. The librarian's eyes were hardened as he sped down the street towards his apartment. Worry was all over his face, which let Chrono know that the situation was more serious than Yuuno was letting him in on.

"Yuuno, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. You've done nothing but ask me things the whole time," Yuuno replied irritably. He gunned it, running the red light and causing cars on both sides of him to slam on brakes. Horns blared through the street as he left.

"Someone's snappy today," Chrono muttered.

"Sorry. I have a whole bunch of things on my mind," Yuuno said. "So, what did you want to ask about?"

"Who is this Mrs. Froy? I believe you were about to tell me before the phone rang," Chrono continued.

"Well...she's a woman who I met at the library yesterday. She gave me a copy of some to-do list and said it was really important that I look at it," he said. "I didn't believe her at first, but then I read what was on the list..."

"And what was on it?"

Yuuno sighed. "It had...plans for an assassination plot on it," he answered.

"An assassination plot?" Chrono stared at the other man. "Against who?"

"I'm not sure. I got an email from Mrs. Froy that told me it would be against one of the higher ups at the TSAB," Yuuno replied.

"And how did she come across this information?"

"She's a spy. She got a copy of the list from one of the assassins who's behind the entire operation." Yuuno's eyes widened when he saw a crush of police cars chaotically placed outside of the building. Red lights flashed everywhere.

Without even thinking he slammed on brakes, nearly throwing Chrono into the dashboard. Yanking off his seatbelt, he leaped out of the car and took off running for the rear entrance, where there were no police officers standing outside. He quickly punched in the access code on the door, threw it open and ran up the stairs.

In less than a minute, he was at the third floor. He opened up the door and saw something he hoped to never see again.

A crowd of police officers were all standing outside of his apartment, asking several of his neighbors various questions. A strip of yellow police tape blocked the doorway. He heard Fate's voice from inside, and knew that she must have called the police.

What really shocked Yuuno was when two officers walked past, carrying a stretcher. It was covered with black cloth, but he didn't have to look far to see the outline of a body in there.

Mrs. Froy was dead. And it was all his fault.

Yuuno was snapped out of his thoughts by the door opening behind him. Chrono was standing behind him, panting and looking annoyed and concerned at the same time. His expression only darkened when he saw the scene in front of him. Pushing past Yuuno, he walked over to the cops.

"Can any of you explain what's going on here?" he asked.

The officer stammered, "W-Well, we got a call not even ten minutes ago from Ms. Harlaown. There's been a murder here. By any chance, do you know a man named Yuuno Scrya?"

"T-That would be me..." Yuuno walked up to the police officers and Chrono, already dreading the incoming statement.

"Mr. Scrya, we're going to have to ask you a few questions. First and foremost, did you know this Mrs. Froy?"

Yuuno truthfully told them everything he knew, including the fact that Mrs. Froy was a spy and that the Polonez siblings had been stalking her. He also told them that she had given them news on an assassination plot that could be carried out against one of the TSAB elite. Who it was, he wasn't really sure.

After that, Chrono turned to Yuuno with an incredulous look on his face. "You didn't tell me you were trying to stop a murder from happening, ferret boy."

"I didn't want to, Chrono. They told me that if I told anybody else about their plot, I'm a dead man," Yuuno replied. "And..I technically witnessed it, as it happened over the phone."

"...Take tomorrow off, Yuuno." The Admiral could see that it was too much for Yuuno to keep it all in. "After all that's happened, you deserve it."

"But Chrono-"

"Seriously, Yuuno." Arf walked out, her face filled with concern. "You look ready to break down at the slightest word."

"Fate and Teana are going to take care of things on this end, and I'll have an official warning to track down the Polonez siblings. The only thing you need to handle is yourself," Chrono said.

Yuuno saw his friends' concerned looks and knew that they were right. If he went to work tomorrow thinking about this, he'd never get anything done. And up until Mrs. Froy had been murdered, he had had plans for the evening.

"Thanks, guys. I really did need this," he replied, a slight smile on his face.

It took a lot of convincing, but Yuuno eventually managed to go into his room and get the small change of clothes he'd need for tonight, as well as his computer, since he would be staying at a hotel. It felt odd to be staying at another place instead of at his home, but at least he wouldn't be getting in the way of the cops...

"Hey, Yuuno?" Chrono called. "Are you ready to go? The police don't want you to mess with the crime scene."

"Coming!" Doing his best to ignore the obvious scenes of the crime, he made his way out of the house.

* * *

It had been a long day at the office for Joseph Today. So far, he'd been hounded with paperwork while trying to keep up with his reports on the Polonez siblings and their hitman, Jasper. They had been secretly trailing the twins after an assassination attempt against one of the elite members of the TSAB had gone wrong, and the man had said that he'd seen one of their faces; Mariel's from what he'd been told.

After that incident, they had disappeared off the Enforcers' radar. Every once in a while, they'd get a lead, but each one would be a dead end, and the case would go cold again.

Just when Joe thought that it would go cold again, one of his assistants came in with a sheet of paper. Yuuno's photo was on it, along with some information.

"So, this is the guy who Melissa got into contact with?" he asked.

"Yes sir. He's the only one who knows of this information; well, him and I think a few others in the law enforcement," his assistant replied.

Joseph studied Yuuno's profile even more, then stood up and pushed his chair in.

"Well, then let's pay a visit to Mr. Scrya; we may not have enough time before the Polonez sibling make their move."

* * *

_Yuuno flung open the doors to one of the many performance rooms in the theater, which was currently playing an opera. The people in the audience continued watching the performance, completely unaware of his presence._

_"So, they're not here...thank goodness for that," he breathed._

_His happiness, however, would soon be short-lived. _

_The first shot that rang out sounded at the same time the opera singer on stage shot his firecracker into the air, making the stage come to life with flashes of light. A second shot followed, and the audience began to slowly move away from the play and try to find out what was going on._

_That was when a man dropped from the balcony, falling on top of one of the patrons-an older woman in her sixties. She screamed, a sound that could have shattered dozens of windows in Cranagan alone. This soon set the audience into a panic, and everything became a mass of confusion._

_Someone pointed out a figure standing on the balcony, and people began to look up in fear. Yuuno felt his blood go cold as Atenza Polonez pointed his gun at the crowd. _

_"Prepare to come under new management, fools!" he laughed, and opened fire. Screams rang out and people took off running as Atenza gunned down innocent people._

_Yuuno was about to move when someone yanked on his hair, wrestled his hands behind his back, and slammed him into the ground. A heel ground into his back and cold metal pressed against his temple. Yuuno gulped._

_"Any last words before you join dear Mrs. Froy in death...Scrya-kun?" Mariel's voice poured into his ears. _

_With the remaining courage he had left, he asked, "Who did you kill?"_

_He could almost hear the cruel smile in her voice. "That's an answer you'll never get."_

_The assassin cocked her gun back into place and pulled the trigger._

Yuuno burst out of sleep in a cold sweat, panting and entangled in the cotton sheets of his hotel bed. He looked around, rubbing his arms and legs, making sure that he was still in one piece. The sounds of the TV and the nightlife below confirmed his situation as the nightmare faded away. He wiped his face with his arm to wipe away the sweat, and was surprised to find that he was crying.

For the last few hours, he'd been doing everything he could to keep himself from breaking down entirely in front of his friends. Chrono still didn't seem convinced that he was alright-in fact, he wasn't doing a good job of convincing himself of that-but the Admiral didn't say anything more about it and he left for home.

All his life, he vowed to do whatever he could to take care of people; especially strangers who needed help. He couldn't just sit back and do nothing when someone would beg him for help. It was just in his nature. And part of his nature was to protect those he helped.

And now, a person was dead because of him. Mrs. Melissa Froy was dead because he had ignored the feeling of concern and danger that had eaten away at him that morning.

The memories of the phone call replayed in his head. Mrs. Froy's scream, the gunshot, and then Mariel's threat.

None of that would have happened if he hadn't trusted his instincts.

Yuuno trembled as he stared at his hands. "I have blood on my hands."

Then he buried his head in them, and let the tears fall.

* * *

Yes, this was more of a saddening chapter. I always thought that Yuuno was the kind of guy who didn't take things like death and murder well. We'll have to see how he'll handle this, as this murder is only the beginning...

Chapter 4 introduces another OC, who, by the way, isn't evil. Later on, we're also going to find out who the Polonez siblings' target is.

Read and review~!

God Bless, Iheartgod175


	4. Strangers on a Train

**Here's the next chapter of our little mystery. There's a little more action involved, which will increase as the story goes forward. Enjoy, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Nanoha, guys.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Strangers on a Train

Yuuno woke up the next morning feeling extremely groggy and tired. He wanted to just bury himself in the covers and not come out, but he knew he couldn't bring himself to do that. For starters, it was already 9:30 A.M., and the checkout was at 11. Sighing, he kicked off the covers as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

He turned up the water to a near scalding temperature, trying to burn away the memories that played in his mind. That's what it would take, he thought, for no amount of work, no amount of distractions could erase the reminder that someone had died for his mistakes.

Maybe it'd be better if I died, he thought. After all, I caused it...and it'd be what I deserved.

A hand shot out and turned the faucet back a few degrees, making him sigh in relief. His skin was red from having the water on that high.

"No. I can't give up here. If I'm going to stop the Polonez siblings from killing anybody else, I'll have to look up the information that Mrs. Froy left me," he said.

With a new resolution in his head, he turned off the water and stepped out. After dressing himself, he set about gathering the rest of his things. Before he left, he noticed that there was a special announcement on the desk of the hotel room. He picked it up, and frowned when he saw what was on the invitation.

_Atenza and Mariel Polonez, the sibling art collector team, would be honored if you would be able to make a reservation at their next art show, which will be held at the Hotel Augusta on December 17th, at 19:00. Guest speakers will include Joseph Today, James Ford, and Opel Lindsay._

Yuuno's hand clenched into a fist, crumpling the note. There was no way he was going to let these two get away with this. No matter what it took, he was going to find a way to stop them. Picking up his bag and computer, he walked out of the hotel room, his face set into a determined scowl.

"I know that she'd want me to do that...she'd want me to expose these two and put them behind bars."

* * *

Thankfully, the train station wasn't too crowded, so Yuuno found it relatively easy to get inside, have his ticket punched in, and sit back and enjoy the ride. He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a train to another city, as he tended to stay at home when he was off duty. It felt good to break the pattern for a change, but he knew that today wasn't going to be fun time. Right now, he had a mission to form in his head.

He figured that since the art show would be held in a day or two, he would be able to take the next two days off. He knew he'd have to lie to Chrono about why he was taking a few more days off, but he obviously couldn't tell the truth either. If he did, the Admiral would hunt him down and freeze him into stasis until he was brought back to the Infinity Library.

Yuuno shivered, his skin going clammy at the memory. The first time Chrono had done that, it was when he had enjoyed his last vacation a little too much. Yuuno figured he should at least be grateful it wasn't Signum, or Vita, or Nanoha who'd come after him; he probably wouldn't have survived.

As he started to set up the wi-fi connection, the doors slid open in front of him and a man in a brown trench coat stepped in. His dirty blond hair flopped over his eyes, although Yuuno swore that he had a hint of yellow underneath them. The rest of it was covered with a black fedora as he took a seat at Yuuno's table, shoving aside his bag.

Yuuno took one look at the man and though he was a spy. He did his best not to pay attention to him, but the man's eyes seemed to bore into Yuuno's soul, and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. After a whole minute, Yuuno couldn't take it anymore. Sighing, he shut the computer and looked the man in the eye.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

"You know, I've read this great book lately. It's about an innocent man who, after overhearing the murder of a spy, finds himself caught in a gruesome assassination plot," the man answered. "You ever heard of it?"

"Uh, no," Yuuno answered. "How does the story end anyway?"

"Eh, I'm not sure. But I will tell you I have a bad habit of starting books and never finishing them," the man said. "However, I think that you know more about it than you're letting in on."

Yuuno stared at the man, eyes wide. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing...just that you remind me of the main character in that book," the man replied, pausing to drink his coffee.

At once, Yuuno got it. "You know who I am, don't you? And why I'm on this train."

"Took you long enough to figure out, Mr. Scrya," the man said. He removed his hat, revealing a messy mop of hair underneath. "I'm Joseph Today, one of the head investigators revolving around the Polonez siblings."

"Are you the same Joseph Today that was on the invitation to their art show?"

"The same. I've always had a passion for the arts," Joseph said. "But you see, I'm really here at this show to find any more information that'll put the Polonez siblings behind bars."

"Yeah..." Memories of the first crime scene spilled into Yuuno's mind, but he pushed those away quickly. "So, how long have you been working on the case?"

"I'd been working on it for a little over a decade," he said. "Melissa Froy...was a good friend of mine, and had reasonable suspicions about those two, like I did." Seeing Yuuno's pained expression, he sighed. "I heard about the murder, and how you ended up hearing it from the police. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. She was a good friend to me as well."

"I just can't help but feel I was responsible for her dying," Yuuno said at last. "I should have stayed there to at least protect her..."

"There wasn't much you could've done, Mr. Scrya. Chances are you would've been killed also. And the Polonez siblings would get away with more murders," Joseph replied. "But Froy was a tough gal. I know that she wouldn't want you to mope around and feel sorry for her. She'd want you to find a way to put those murderers behind bars and keep them there."

"That's the same conclusion I came to as well," Yuuno said. "And that's why I'm heading to Hotel Augusta."

Joseph stared at the archaeologist, eyes wide. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so. I'm the only one who knows about their plot; well, me and a few other people," Yuuno replied.

"Who? What other people?"

"Several people in the law enforcement," Yuuno admitted.

"I would say that you should let the law handle this, but unfortunately, that's not going to be the case." Joseph leaned forward, looking Yuuno dead in the eye. "You see, as the only person with contact from Mrs. Froy, you probably have inside information about the Polonez's inner workings of their plot. That makes you number one on their hit list."

Yuuno felt his skin go clammy, but he managed to keep his voice calm. "Which is another reason I'm heading there. I can't possibly put my friends in danger with what I know."

"That is true...but have you thought that you might get yourself killed?"

"Joseph, I have several childhood friends and a staff at the Infinity Library dependent on me. And I don't want to scare them by getting myself slightly killed," Yuuno replied evenly.

Joseph chuckled. "I like your sense of humor, Scrya. It appears that me and you are going to get along just fine."

And for the first time all day, Yuuno smiled.

* * *

It would be another hour before the train reached their destination. The two walked off towards the platform, but that was when Yuuno spotted a swirling mass of blonde hair.

_Mariel._ If she was here, there was no doubt that her brother Atenza was there too. He tried to see if he was there, but Joseph pulled him into the sea of the crowd.

"You can't let yourself get noticed by people like that," he said. "If they see your face, they'll know you probably tracked them down."

Yuuno kept that as a mental note to himself as they left the train station. When they got outside, Joseph turned to him.

"Sorry to leave you hanging, buddy, but I've got my hotel room to go to. Which hotel are you staying at?" he asked.

"Definitely not the Augusta. I do need to save money for the return trip," he said. "Probably a mid-rate hotel will do..."

"Same here. Well, enjoy your stay. And whatever you do, keep a low profile," Joseph said. Placing his hat back on, he bounded down the marble steps of the train station.

Yuuno started to make his way down as well, but that was when he heard footsteps pounding behind him. He turned around, stunned, to see a short man burst out the door. He turned around to address someone, and soon, Mariel and Atenza walked out. Atenza's eyes scanned the street until they landed on Yuuno, his eyes narrowing.

"That's him!" he yelled, and whipped out a gun. Yuuno threw out a shield just as a bullet crashed into it. It bounced off the shield, hitting the wall.

The little man also pulled out a gun, and started shooting, but with no luck as Yuuno's shields held up. The sounds of gunshots sent the remaining people running for their lives, screaming.

Mariel slapped the gun out of her brother's hand and began yelling at them. Yuuno could barely hear what she was saying, but he was more than sure that it had to do with them shooting out in public. Lowering his shield, he saw that the smaller man had stopped shooting, his attention now focused on the shouting Mariel.

Now was his chance.

His magic circle sprung to life under his feet as he started to gather mana for the spell. Thrusting his right hand out, he yelled, _"Chain Bind!" _Another magic circle appeared as five green energy chains shot forth, heading straight for his intended targets.

The little guy jumped, while the siblings remained oblivious until they were bound head to toe in green chains. Lowering his hand, Yuuno prepared to fire off another set of chains at the short man...

...but that was when the man fired, sending a bullet slamming into Yuuno's side. The impact of the shot sent Yuuno flying backwards, blood gushing out of his wound. Screams of terror filled the air as he tumbled down the stairs, stopping only when he was a few feet away from the road.

Pounding footsteps resounded through the air as people gathered around Yuuno, fear on their faces. He tried to speak, but acid bubbled in his throat and his side was in unbearable pain.

"Someone call a freaking ambulance!" someone yelled, and similar calls started resounding throughout the crowd. Out of the corner of Yuuno's eye, he saw more than a few people charge up the steps and attack the man who had shot him.

"Please..." he begged. "They can't...get away..."

"Hold on, son," an older man said. "The ambulance will be on its way soon. Just stay with us, alright?"

"I'll...try," he said.

Try as he might, Yuuno's mind couldn't help but drift towards his friends. He could only imagine how they would react if they found out he got shot on his day off. They wouldn't take the news calmly, he knew. If anything, the higher-ups would probably have to stop them from outright killing those two-which they would most certainly do if he died.

_Everyone,_ he thought to himself,_ I'm sorry..._

The screaming of the ambulance was the last thing he heard before everything melted into darkness.

* * *

Mariel and Atenza growled as they were marched towards the squad cars sitting outside on the curb. Despite their protests, they were all shoved into the car, cramped painfully together until the police disarmed the binding chain that Yuuno had placed them in. They didn't enjoy their freedom for long, however, for they were soon handcuffed.

"State your names, you three," the cop said.

"Are you kidding? They don't need to state their names!" his partner said. "They're the two art collectors that are supposed to be at Hotel Augusta this weekend!"

"And how do you know this?"

"Uh...I keep up with the times."

"Uh-huh...well, there's not gonna be an art show. Enforcer Testarossa-Harlaown has issued a city wide warrant for these three, and for good reason," the cop said. He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to his partner as they drove. "Read the rap sheet."

His junior's eyes widened upon seeing the list of offenses on the sheet, and turned towards them, utterly shocked. "H-How did you manage to-"

"We're not talking until we have our lawyers!" Atenza said.

"We won't be talking to them either, brother," Mariel replied. A soft clicking sound filled the room, as she was currently using her nail file to pick open the locks on the handcuffs.

"What makes you say that, lady?" the other cop snapped.

"This, my dear boy." There was the sound of a click, and then Mariel lunged forward, her hands grasping the other officers neck. She then slammed his head against the headrest with enough force to knock him out. The officer slumped forward in his seatbelt, and the driver turned worried.

"What the-" He stopped the moment he felt cold steel against his head. He turned to find Atenza holding a gun...but his eyes were glowing a bright yellow. A wave of power washed over the officer, and his muscles tensed up.

"Take us to the hospital where Yuuno Scrya is. We have a message for him," Atenza said.

The officer whipped around, and made an abrupt swerve to the right. After mentally warning the officer of the repercussions should he disobey, Atenza turned towards his sister.

"Well, that was pretty violent of you, Mariel," he said.

"He won't wake up again," she said, "at least, wake up to find out where we've gone off to."

"That's great and all, but what about the public? Have you forgotten that they're not out of our hair?" Jasper pointed out.

"We'll deal with them later," Atenza replied. "Right now, we have a certain Head Librarian to take care of..."

* * *

Yes. Mariel and Atenza have mind controlling abilities. Yuuno's not going to have an easy fight against these two...

As stated earlier, though, the two of them are pretty weak against someone like Yuuno, and they're pretty lousy on the offensive front; this is why they use guns and other ordinary weapons. When they do decide to use their powers, they have to rely of stalling tactics to gather the right amount of mana.

And like Hayate, their raw power is not natural. That is something that you'll have to learn about later in the story as well.

So, what happens to Yuuno? Wait until Chapter 5 to learn more! Read and review, please!

God Bless, iheartgod175


	5. Panic

**Disclaimer: Don't own a thing of Nanoha, folks. Move along.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Panic

_"In other news today, a shooting has occurred right outside the train station leading into Cranagan. One man was injured, and the shooters, renowned art collectors Atenza and Mariel Polonez, have been taken into custody at this given time. There is no word if there are any fatalities."_

"That sounds pretty serious," Chrono said, pausing only to drink his coffee. He had come by the library to check on Arf, who was currently handling two jobs. "Hope the guy wasn't anyone I know..."

Arf sighed as she rested her head on top of the huge amount of books. "I can only imagine the chaos going on down there. There's usually a shooting every few months to the point where it's considered normal," she said.

"Well, it's a good thing that those three are being put behind bars," Chrono said. "Fate's supposed to be meeting with the Enforcers there soon in order to ask questions about the murder of Melissa Froy."

"I still can't understand how those people could be so emotionless as to kill an innocent person," Arf said.

"I don't think she was as innocent as they claim to be. She was, in fact, a spy. Yuuno told me that she had given him some information," he said.

"How much?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me much after I asked him," he said. "...I can't believe I'm saying this, but something about his story's not adding up."

"Usually, Yuuno never lies to people," Arf said.

"The last time I talked to him, he said that if he told me half of what he knows, he's a dead man walking," Chrono said. His face was clear of all its usual sarcasm. "We need to find him and ask him what's going on."

"Maybe it has something to do with those assassins. He _did_ say they threatened him over the phone..."

Chrono was about to add something, but that was when the phone rang. Arf excused herself and answered the phone.

"Infinity Library." The smile on her face quickly disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion. "Uh, yes, this is one of Yuuno Scrya's associates. Is something wro-" She paused as she listened to the speaker on the other end. Her eyes widened in horror. "By the Kaiser...is he still alive?...Okay. Okay, I'll tell my friends and we'll be on our way."

The person on the other end still wasn't done, but Arf hung up the phone. Chrono gave her a look of vaguely disguised concern.

"Who was that?"

"You remember how they said a man was shot on the news?" Arf asked. "Yuuno was that man. He's in the hospital."

If Chrono had turned any faster, his head might have snapped off. "W-What?"

"Yuuno's in the hospital! He's the guy who got shot by the Polonez siblings!" Arf repeated, shouting. Her declaration could be heard from miles away, and every single head in the building swiveled in their direction, horror resonating on their faces.

"Is Mr. Scrya dead?" one man asked.

"Did they announce it on the news?" a woman asked.

"Whoa, wait! What the heck is going on?" a man shouted.

The next thing Chrono and Arf knew, they were being assaulted by a barrage of questions from nearly everyone in the library. A few more people who came in the library took one look at the crowd surrounding the Admiral and the familiar.

As they tried to placate the panicked crowd, Chrono made a mental note to get Yuuno back for this...

* * *

Yuuno awoke to the sound of beeping-very loud, annoying beeping. He looked at himself, seeing that he was currently connected to an IV pouch, and that his left side was heavily bandaged. Beside him, there was a machine that currently monitored his heart rate and blood pressure.

On one hand, he was relieved to be alive. On the other, he wasn't happy at all that he was going to be spending the next few days in the hospital.

"I hope Nanoha and the others aren't rushing here right now," he said to himself. His throat felt like someone had forced him to eat gravel. "I can only imagine how they're taking this..." He began to close his eyes again.

"You have to let us in there!" someone shouted. "We're friends of Yuuno-kun, and we need to see how he's doing!"

"The patient's currently asleep right now." Another voice, this one soothing and calm. "It would be best if you didn't disturb him."

"Who ever said we were going to disturb him?" The third voice was a female, and carried all traces of a hot temper. "You'd better let us in, or else we'll force our way inside."

Yuuno blinked, his eyes sliding over to the door. His mind must be playing tricks again. For a minute, he swore that Nanoha and Vita were outside his door yelling at the doctors-

SLAM!

Yuuno gave a yelp of fright at the unexpected action. His side burned as a result of his nearly leaping out of the bed.

"I told you he was awake."

"Yuuno-kun!"

The next thing Yuuno knew, Nanoha Takamachi was hugging him with enough force to crush a mountain. While he was trying to calm his worried friend, he caught sight of Vita, the rest of the Wolkenritter, Hayate and all of his friends coming in at once. Their faces ranged from worry to anger to relief.

Chrono, the apparent head of the pack, sighed. "What did you do now, Yuuno?"

Yuuno tried to speak, but the only thing that escaped his throat was a rattled wheeze.

"Nanoha, let Yuuno breathe!" Vita pulled Nanoha away from the injured librarian, who was trying to recover from having the air squeezed out of him. That wasn't the end of the hug fest, though, as soon Fate, Hayate, and Vivio gave him hugs-much gentler ones.

After everyone had expressed his and her relief, the news reporters tried to come into the room, only to be shoved out by Hayate. A heated argument followed as the newsmen tried to interview Yuuno, but it wasn't until Signum got involved that they quickly left, running like their worst nightmare was following them.

"Chrono told us everything, you know, about the spies, the assassins and the murders," Nanoha sniffled, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "When we heard you got shot, I decided to take my break to find you. I was shocked to see a bunch of news reporters standing outside your door..."

"Well, the shooting pretty much made me a local celebrity," Yuuno replied. "Everyone's talking about the Polonez siblings and the strange man they just shot for no reason."

"There's a reason behind you getting shot, Yuuno," Fate said. Her gaze was serious. "Maybe it's because of the information you know?"

"Yeah," Yuuno looked down at his hands. "I'm the only person that's had contact with Melissa Froy, so that makes sense why they would attack me."

"Well, can't you share some of this information with us?" Hayate asked.

"No." Yuuno's response was firm. "I'm not telling any of you what I know."

"Why? Yuuno-kun, the more we know about those two, the faster we can catch them!" Hayate said.

"Did you forget that they killed the woman who gave me said information?" Yuuno said. "If they tried to kill me, they'll go after all of you."

"They won't try to kill any of us now, since they're in jail," Vita snapped. "So why don't you just tell use what's going on?"

Yuuno knew that she was right, but the very thought of Mariel and Atenza coming after them, waiting at just the right moment to attack...

"I'm sorry, Vita. I can't tell you. It's...I need time to sort this all out," he said.

Vita grumbled more than a few curses aimed at him and then stormed out. Everyone watched her leave and then turned to Yuuno.

"Yuuno, are you sure you can't tell us anything about these two? It would keep them in prison for a very long time," Fate asked.

"I don't even know the person who's being assassinated," Yuuno replied. "I can't offer any more information."

A series of exasperated sighs filled the air. Looking long and hard at the Librarian, Chrono tore his eyes off of Yuuno to address the other occupants.

"Come on, guys. I'm sure the doctors will be back in here to do some more tests on him," he said.

Nanoha looked ready to superglue herself to Yuuno's side. "Can I stay with him, Chrono-kun? I don't know how long he-"

"It's alright, Nanoha," Yuuno interrupted gently, smiling at his friend. "Chrono's right. I don't think we need a repeat of what happened with the reporters."

There was a small, nervous chuckle that rippled through the room. Soon, everyone started to say their goodbyes and leave, but the only person who still remained was Chrono. He stared at the floor long and hard, not even looking up when the door closed again.

Yuuno licked his lips nervously. He knew that Chrono possibly suspected something, but he really was telling the truth-at least, most of it.

Finally, the admiral spoke. "Are you sure that you're not lying about this, ferret boy?"

"I'm positive, Chrono. That's all I know. Those two just want to get me for what happened a few days ago," Yuuno replied.

Chrono sighed, and then looked up at the librarian at last. His expression was dark, making his blue eyes look black in the room. "Take care of yourself, Yuuno. See you in a couple of days," he said finally. He then left the room before Yuuno could even say a word of goodbye.

As the door banged shut, Yuuno let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. This assassination plot was getting under his skin, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of this room and find those siblings, forcing the whole thing out of them. It wasn't a smart thing to wish for, he knew, but at least it was better than having to keep this whole thing to himself.

It really tore him up to see Nanoha, Fate and Chrono concerned about him, especially since the latter two had heard about the whole thing from him. The others didn't seem to know about it as extensively as he did, but he was sure that they would all do their research on this thing sooner or later.

It then occurred to him that he should also get his research done on this assassination.

"I need to get my computer. I didn't tell those two yet, but I did in fact get another email from Mrs. Froy, sent an hour before she was murdered," he said to himself. He looked around his room, trying to see if he could spot any of his possessions anywhere. He finally found his computer sitting in the chair.

Sliding to the side of the bed, Yuuno forced himself to get on his feet and walk over to the other side to get his computer. His side ached and he nearly fell, but he finally made it over to the chair to get his laptop. He wasn't sure if they had wifi connection here, but that didn't matter. He had his hard drive still in his pants pocket, and in it was the saved emails he'd downloaded the other day.

Making his way into the chair, he opened up the computer and turned it on. After it booted up, he inserted the flash drive and opened his files. He'd saved Mrs. Froy's under the name "Top Secret Files."

"Let's see what she had to send me before she died," he muttered, clicking on the files. What he saw made him do a double take.

The first thing he'd clicked on was a layout of the Cranagan Opera House, showing the stages for the performance room, the seats, the stage, and the exits. A series of red lines had been drawn from the balcony to the exit.

_So, this has to be an escape route. But, why would they go to the balcony of all places?_ Yuuno decided he'd learn the answer once he kept reading.

The next page pulled up a concert ticket and a playbill for an opera called _'Il sole penetra le illusioni'_, an opera he'd never heard of before. The cover showed a woman whose hair appeared to be made out of fire staring at her alternate self, who had shorter hair and looking shocked. The concert ticket had a section marked on top that said "Balcony Seat Reserved for..."

Yuuno's eyes went as wide as saucers. He hoped that it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, or that they had gotten the name wrong. Forcing himself to calm down, he scrolled down the rest of the document, hoping to find something else that might be useful to the case.

Pictures of a man, two women, and two small children appeared next. A huge red circle appeared on the man's picture, along with the inscription "Target". Another inscription, this one written in flowing handwriting, said "Stick to the target, but if family gets in the way, don't hesitate to pick off."

The computer slid of of Yuuno's lap, hit the rail of the bed and crashed to the floor, the flash drive snapping off and skidding across the tiles. But even that didn't deter him. He stared at the wall ahead of him, his expression akin to someone stepping over his own grave; his skin pale, his arms shaking, and his breath coming out in quick gasps.

The Polonez siblings' target was Chrono Harlaown.

* * *

Dun-dun-DUN! The big reveal! Well...for those of you who guessed, of course, it's not really a surprise. But still.

Hopefully, the next few chapters should be much longer. I plan on making this a short story-maybe about the same length as Dear Nanoha Fans with just eight chapters. And I want to cram as much action as possible.

The opera that Yuuno discovers is a reference to "Day Break Illusion", especially since the main character in the opera is a homage to Akira Taiyou._**  
**_

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and read and review, please!

God bless, iheartgod175


	6. Blackmail

**Hope everyone had a merry Christmas! Here's another chapter for you~**

**Disclaimer:...No comment.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Blackmail

It took a long time for Yuuno to get his hands to stop shaking. He wished he could erase what he'd seen just then from his mind. But he knew that doing that would be utterly impossible-not to mention extremely foolish, as it would only allow the Polonez siblings to hit their target dead on.

A target who happened to be one of his friends.

Yuuno then noticed his computer on the floor, the hard drive halfway under the bathroom door. After picking it up and ensuring no damage was done to the computer, he made his way back to the bed, carefully reading over the information and storing the information in his mind. He had a feeling that he'd need to later...

_This is crazy. I can't believe that I'm actually attempting to stop a murder._ Yuuno frowned and shook it off. _No; this time, I'm going to stop those two in their tracks. None of my friends are getting murdered on my watch. _

The door opened and a nurse came in. But what startled Yuuno most of all was her appearance. She had a ring of blond hair surrounding her head, and her blue eyes screamed, "You don't know what I have in store for you." Her lips were curled into something that was not a smile.

Yuuno's mouth dropped open about ten inches as he stared at the girl before him. "You..."

"That's right, Mr. Scrya. It's me." She let loose a harsh choking sound Yuuno guessed was a laugh. "I just wanted to check on you to make sure you were doing alright."

"I'm fine, thanks," Yuuno growled, his face tight with restrained anger. "And I suppose that's not the only reason you've come here, right?"

"You catch on fast. Atenza sent me here to make sure that you kept quiet about you-know-what," she said. "And I'm glad he did, because I kind of like you, you know. I'd hate to see your handsome little face get torn to pieces by my brother."

Yuuno at first felt flattered by her words, but swiftly overcame it as he remembered who he was dealing with. "Why are you here? I thought you and your brother were-"

"In prison? Oh, right. I forgot to mention this. We...convinced the officers to let us out," she replied.

Something about the way she said "convinced" made Yuuno's skin go cold. He bit his lip and then nonchalantly closed the laptop, looking at her with a cool look.

"Of course, after we took care of dear Mrs. Froy, we went through her belongings, one of which being a computer. We found out that she had sent an email to you detailing the more...intricate steps of our plan," she continued. "It's quite detailed, really. It even has pictures in it that she stole from us."

Immediately, Yuuno knew what she was talking about. His body was screaming at him to run, but he forced himself to remain in bed.

"I haven't checked my email in the last few days," he lied, hoping to divert her. "I could check now if-"

"Listen, Scrya," Mariel snapped. "I'm done with your 'I barely know anything' act. You probably stored the email in your brain, in case we destroyed your computer."

The horrified look on Yuuno's face confirmed her suspicions, and she chuckled. "I thought so. You know more than we do," she said.

"And if I told the police about who you're planning to kill, what would you do?" he asked.

Her lips curled upwards. "Well, we'd just have to kill you, wouldn't we?"

Yuuno figured that would happen, but he tried not to let his rising fear show anymore that it already had. "Why are you so hung up on killing Admiral Harlaown?" he asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Silver Claw, Scyra?" she replied.

"The Silver Claw...that's the terrorist organization that managed to take over three governments in several administrated worlds!" Yuuno replied.

"You're a smart man. Our leader, Jaguar, plans on taking over the entire system. He's already inserted several of our members in the higher ranks of the Bureau. And some of those members had to...replace their predecessors before they took the spots.

"As you know, some of the top commanding officers are admirals, but the positions are filled in already. The first person who came of interest was Chrono Harlaown. We knew that offing a high rank officer would bring about instability for a while in the Bureau...which would give us perfect time to insert my brother as the new Admiral."

"What makes you think your brother would be sworn in as Admiral?" Yuuno shouted. "You two are assassins-scratch that, _terrorists_!"

"I prefer the former than the latter, but nonetheless, that's true," she replied. "We can just change our names and faces. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Just what are you planning on doing after you get the position?" Yuuno asked.

"Simple: blow the Bureau sky high from the inside out, of course," she replied. "I thought that was obvious."

Yuuno's voice was thick with anger. "You just wait until I get in contact with my friends about this, Mariel. They'll-"

Mariel caught the librarian in a death grip, her right hand around his throat and his head being forced through the wall. He let out a pained gasp as her fingernails dug into the back of his neck.

"Your reward for keeping silent is your life. It's not much, but I'd hate to get rid of someone I saw as my equal. Like I told you on the phone, Scrya, we'll be watching your every move," she hissed. "Don't forget what happens if you decide to spill everything."

She allowed enough leverage for him to breathe. "You really...expect me... to sit back and let you kill a respected Admiral?"

"Unless you want to live, you will," she replied. "And unless you want your friends to stay alive as well."

Yuuno's green eyes were bright with horror. "You would go as far as to kill my friends?!" he gasped.

"We'll do whatever's necessary to keep this operation going...including, as you said, killing your friends. As they say, Yuuno, silence is golden."

She released him, and he sucked in mouthfuls of much needed air. He rubbed his sore neck and glared at her.

"You'll never get away with this," he ground out.

"Oh, we already have. How else did we get out of going to jail numerous times?" Her mouth formed a sneer. "I do believe you're going to be in for quite a shock when the news hits about Harlaown's death."

With a flirtatious wink, she turned and sauntered out of the room.

Yuuno barely had time to even comprehend the situation before a horde of news reporters stormed the room, cameras flashing and microphones shoved in his face. After recovering from his shock, Yuuno managed to compose himself well enough to answer a few questions about the shooting. He didn't dare reveal the reason of why he'd been shot, or why the Polonez siblings would be out for him. After what Mariel had told him, he wasn't ready to go forward unless he really wanted a bullet to his head.

Once the reporters had left, with Yuuno finally having some room to catch his breath, his mind ran on what Mariel had told him. The two of them were even worse than he'd imagined; not the fact that they were disturbingly calm about their mission (although that was scary in itself) but because they'd managed to use their aliases so well that nobody from the Bureau had caught them.

If nobody caught them soon, the Bureau would more or less go sky high-and with it, his friends.

For that reason, he couldn't sit back and remain silent, even though she had blackmailed him into keeping silent about Chrono's assassination. Although he valued his life, he would never forgive himself if one of his friends were killed by those two.

Reaching over to the phone, he picked it up and started to dial a new number. He waited for a few minutes, and then the person on the other end picked up.

_"Is this some kind of prank? Nobody I know is in the hospital."_

"Hey, Joseph." Yuuno laughed dryly.

_"Scrya? What are you doing in the hospital?"_

"In case you haven't seen the news, I got shot."

_"...I don't think I need to ask who did it, do I?"_

"No, not really. But I'm fine. The doctor says I'm supposed to leave here in a few days," he said.

_"Well that's a relief. Also...I've read through the files that Mrs. Froy gave me. I found out who's being targeted."_

"It's Chrono Harlaown. I know; I've read the files before the nurses came in."

There was a pause, and then Joseph asked, _"This Chrono Harlaown...is he a friend of yours?"_

"He's one of my best friends," Yuuno replied. "Even though he gets on my nerves at times, we get along for the most part. We've known each other since we were kids."

_"This is going to be a difficult assignment for you, Scrya. No doubt the Polonez siblings suspect that you know more about their plot,"_ Joseph said.

"They don't suspect anymore; they know I do. I, uh...ran into Mariel. She was disguised as one of the nurses here," he said.

Whatever response Joseph had expected, suffice to say that this was not it. There was the sound of sputtering over the line, as if he'd been drinking when Yuuno had said that.

_"She did _what_?"_

Yuuno told him all about what Mariel had discovered, and how she had basically told him why they were assassinating Chrono in the first place. When he was done, he was met with by a long silence.

"The worst part is, she blackmailed me, saying that I need to keep my mouth shut about this or else I'm going to die," Yuuno said. "But, I can't do that."

_"You don't want your friends catching the bullets while you sit back and say_ nothing," Joseph said.

"Exactly. And while I value my life, I value my friends more often than not," Yuuno said. "I don't care if I die in the process; as long as my friends are safe, I'll be happy to take their place."

_"I understand that you have a big heart when it comes to this, but...you do realize that if you die, you'll be causing your friends even more pain, right?"_

Yuuno closed his eyes, trying to block out mental images of Nanoha possibly nuking those two from orbit. It was somewhat amusing, he admitted mentally, but the reason for it wasn't.

"I know, and I understand that. But blackmail or not, I'm going to make sure that none of my friends get in the crossfire. I've already took time off from work, and the crime scene's still being cleaned up at my place. The only thing I need is for you to help me," Yuuno said.

Joseph sighed. _"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."_

"I won't...or at least, I'll try not to."

A dry chuckle filled Yuuno's ears. _"Good enough for me."_

* * *

Chrono barely ate any of his dinner. To Fate, that was not a good sign.

She, Nanoha and Hayate had decided to go out to dinner to take everyone's mind off the event that had happened, but still a dark mood permeated the air. As it turned out, all everyone could talk about was the situation at hand, which only served to enlarge the cloud hanging over the party. Even the normally talkative Nanoha was somber.

Fate eyed her older brother cautiously. He looked like a massive thunderstorm was going off in his brain, his dark blue eyes nearly black with thoughts. At times like this, she couldn't really tell if he were angry or just in deep thought, but she knew that he was currently in an emotional whirlwind, so it probably wasn't best to prod him.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she pulled it out. Seeing as it was a text from her Enforcer's Aide, she opened it up quickly. The subject was marked "Urgent; Come fast."

_"Fate-san,_

_"So sorry to interrupt you during dinner, but I just got a call from the local police district. The car that carried the Polonez siblings to the station never made it there. __ Their car veered off the road on one of the major highways. The witness who found the car said that he pulled over when he saw flashing lights and open doors, got out to seem, and found _the two officers dead. The police chief asked for me to tell you to come immediately.

_"Teana Lanstar."_

Fate pushed her chair back, an action that finally caught the attention of most of her friends. "Sorry, everyone, but I have to run. I've got work to do," she said.

"But Fate-chan, you've barely eaten any of your food!" Nanoha said.

"Don't worry, I'll take the rest of it home," Fate replied.

"Is something wrong?" Hayate asked.

"I've just got a text from Tea. The Polonez siblings never made it to the police station," she said. "Someone on the highway found the police car, with the passenger doors wide open, and two dead officers in the car."

Everyone except Chrono gasped, utterly horrified by this news. Nanoha looked ready to leap right out of the chair.

"You mean to tell me the psychos who shot Yuuno-kun are on the loose?!" Nanoha yelled. More than a few people turned around at her declaration.

"I'm afraid so. I need to get to the scene as quickly as possible," Fate said. "We are dealing with potential serial killers in this."

"Be careful out there, Fate-chan." Nanoha grasped Fate's hands tightly. "I don't want you to end up in the hospital, either."

Fate smiled gently, and nodded. "For your sake as well as Vivio's, I'll make sure I come home to you both," she said.

Behind her, Hayate laughed. "The words of a true prince, Fate-chan."

Fate's face exploded into red at that, and much needed laughter came into the room, lightening the mood.

Chrono merely closed his eyes and sipped his watered down soda, although he couldn't hide the small smirk that tugged at his lips.

* * *

Outside of the hospital, Atenza and Jasper waited outside in a stolen car. They weren't planning to get it, but after someone had threatened to spill their locations to the police, Atenza and Jasper had to shut him up. After dragging the man into an alley, they nonchalantly took his car, doing their best to keep their heads low so nobody would recognize them.

Just then the doors to the hospital opened and Mariel strode out, back in her clothes instead of the nurse's outfit she'd been wearing. After looking about to make sure nobody was there, Jasper waved her over, and climbed into the back seat, as she jumped into passenger's side.

"Took you long enough. I almost pulled off from here with this rickety old thing," Atenza said.

"Where did you get it, anyway?"

"Oh, we had to take it from somebody who wouldn't keep their eyes to themselves," Jasper replied. He reached around in the back. "Ooh, this guy was loaded with money!" He opened the man's wallet, and pulled out a handful of bills before stuffing them into his pocket.

"I suppose you've already taken care of him?" she said.

"Yes," Atenza said. "And I suppose you've already taken care of your business with Scrya?"

"Yeah. You made sure that that jerk keeps quiet, right?" Jasper piped up.

"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse," Mariel said, her lips curled into a malicious smile. "He got the point immediately."

"Good. The last thing we need is for him to spill everything," Atenza added. "So, where are we off to now?"

"To the Hotel Augusta, of course. We do have an art show in a few days," she said.

"Right, almost forgot," he replied. "Let's hope this thing can get us there. Then we can take the time to get another car."

With a few words of agreement, Atenza stepped on the gas, and sped off into the dark streets.

* * *

To be clear, I don't actually ship NanoFate, but I had to have a little tease at Fate's princely status. I could imagine Hayate never letting Fate hear the end of that. We need a little humor in this dark story after all.

Yuuno's now the victim of blackmail, but unlike what most people do when they are, Yuuno's perfectly willing to put his own life in danger for the sake of his friends. What will happen with this attitude in mind, I'm not sure. You'll just have to wait and see.

Read and review, and Happy New Year (as I don't know when I'll update again)!

God bless, iheartgod175


	7. Hostage

**I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Here's another installment of our little mystery. This one should be a bit longer, a lot more action-packed, and hopefully ups the ante a bit. So, let's-a-go!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Nanoha, as always.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Hostage

_(3 days later...)_

"Just sign right here, Mr. Scyra, and you're clear to go," the nurse said, handing Yuuno a clipboard.

"Ah, thank you," he replied, and hastily scribbled his name down. As he thanked the nurse and resumed packing his clothes, he couldn't help but think about how lucky he was. It was just as good that Atenza hadn't shot him in the leg, or worse, any one-hit kill spots. As he had told Joseph on the phone, he really didn't need to die and have his friends out looking for blood.

Speaking of his friends, it seemed as though they were all over his case ever since the shooting. Vita had threatened him into staying in his house until he was better. Nanoha practically came everyday, and had been more persistent about this matter than Chrono had been. When he had accidentally slipped that he had been threatened by Mariel, it took a whirlwind of excuses to stop her from heading out to Starlight Breaker the two assassins.

Not that he would really mind, but he really didn't want to be sued by the city for the damages.

As he walked down the hall, he was greeted by the girl in question. "Come on, Yuuno-kun! Everyone's waiting for you at home," Nanoha said, skipping alongside him.

Yuuno blinked. "Everyone's out there, waiting for _me_?"

"Of course, silly! You're one of our friends, and we decided to celebrate your release with a party!" she replied. "Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's pretty cool!" Yuuno replied. "Did the police mention anything about my house being-"

"Yep. Everything's been cleaned top to bottom," Nanoha replied.

"I see..." Yuuno's expression darkened as he remembered the last time he had been there. "It'll be so weird going back there..."

"I know, especially since you ended up seeing a murder scene," she replied. "But don't worry, Yuuno-kun. Those psychos won't be getting to you, not if I have anything to say about it."

"I'm pretty sure Raising Heart will do all the talking in that situation," he said. "We all know how you get when you're serious."

"Mou, Yuuno-kun," Nanoha pouted, "why do you have to keep saying that?"

* * *

"I wonder why there were pictures for an opera theater here..." Joseph paused to take a sip of his coffee, and immediately grimaced. He had let it go too cool. If there was one thing he hated the most, other than assassins who worked for a terrorist organization, it was cold coffee.

However, the coffee was soon the last thing on his mind. Yuuno's call from three days ago had sent him rifling through Mrs. Froy's email again, hoping to catch any small details he might have missed. He finally found the piece of information he was looking for; as it turned out, he was so busy looking for the target, he had completely neglected the rest of the email.

He was quite surprised to find a pamphlet for the famous opera, _Il sole penetra le illusioni. _As a patron of the arts, he knew that that particular opera was considered one of the best in Midchilda. Of course, seats went quickly, and most people were advised to make reservations months in advance.

Joseph would have loved to go, but he would have to cash in his wallet to pay for such an experience, which he couldn't afford to do at the moment. He had a wife and two kids to feed and take care of, and he had promised that he wouldn't get himself killed on his mission.

He pulled out a small picture from his coat pocket, eyes blurring as he looked at his family. He hadn't seen them in over five months, and every time he'd finish a case, he'd be called right back out to the line of duty. He had sent phone messages and emails, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing them, laughing with them...

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Joseph was snapped out of his thoughts by a banging on the door. He sighed as he shut the email down, getting up to answer whoever it was at the door. He hoped it wasn't one of the hotel staff reminding him that checkout was in fifteen minutes again. He unlocked the door, and let it swing wide open.

As it turned out, it _wasn't_ the staff.

"Hello, Mr. Today. I was wondering whether you were ready to head to the Hotel Augusta tonight. We _do_ have to set up the show, you know."

Atenza was standing there at the door, along with Jasper. The former had a look of fake sincerity on his face.

"We'll just take that bag for you, Mr. Today, and we'll be right on our way to the hotel," Jasper said.

"Like I'll be going anywhere with you!" Joseph snapped. In one rapid motion, he literally slammed the door in Jasper's face, the doorknob hitting him in the forehead and causing him to yowl with pain. Joseph rushed over to the desk and grabbed the computer, yanked the wires out, and stuffed into his suitcase. The door shook as Atenza started beating it with his fists.

"Open up, Today, or we're gonna blow this thing off!" Atenza yelled, and gave the door a rough kick. Joseph paid no attention as he unhooked the window and started to pull it upwards, grunting under the weight.

_POW!_

Joseph ducked as a bullet came flying through the hotel door, smashing through the window. Another bullet stuck into the wall behind him, and soon the beating on the door continued. Outside, he could hear some commotion.

_I can't wait for them to get in. I have to jump out now._ With a deep breath, he charged through the window. Glass flying, arms flailing and suitcase whirling, Joseph landed on the ground with a thump. Horrified shouts came from the people around him.

Groaning, he pushed himself to a standing position and used whatever energy he had in him to bolt for his car. He yanked open the doors to his sedan, jumped in, and started the ignition. The engine sputtered for a moment, and then roared to life. Not bothering to close the door, Joseph shifted into reverse. In his rear-view mirror, he saw the baffled looks of the people...

...and he saw Jasper and Atenza shove open the lobby doors, guns drawn. He could hear the gun load over the roar of the engine, and saw many people jump down for their lives

Jasper didn't wait until he was out the door. Holding it with one hand, he opened fire on the moving car, causing everyone in the parking lot to scream. Joseph ducked as bullets shattered the windows and indenting the car doors. When Jasper stopped to reload, Joseph whipped out his gun and fired two shots a few feet from Atenza. The bigger man leaped jumped backwards at the shots, nearly falling.

Reaching over and slamming the door shut, Joseph shifted into drive, and squealed away from the parking lot, nearly running a woman over. In the rear-view, Atenza came into view, and Joseph ducked as he opened fire, shattering the windshield. Smashing the pedal down, Joseph lurched out into heavy traffic, keeping his head low as he careened into place. The remaining shots hit his bumper, and unfortunately, a few more innocent bystanders.

Gasping, he slowly raised his head up, glass raining from his head as he made his way towards downtown Cranagan. He looked over to his left and right, and saw more than a few eyes drift over to him. Putting on his best 'casual' smile, he waved off the damage as best as he could. His heart hammered and his body was alive with adrenaline.

"It's like I always say," he chuckled in spite of himself, "you never feel more alive than when you're almost dead."

* * *

When Yuuno and Nanoha walked in the door of his apartment, they were met with a stream of confetti and cheers. His normally dull room was now vividly decorated with banners of yellow and green. A huge banner hung up on the wall with the words 'Welcome home, Yuuno!' in purple letters. On the table, there was a delicious feast on the table, complete with champagne and sparkling cider.

His friends were standing there, clapping and cheering for him as he made his way to the center of the room. It was so weird to be in the center of attention, he noted, as he tended to shy away from it most of the time. He never really considered himself to be all that important, especially since his childhood friend was the legendary Ace of Aces. He always figured that everyone would forget him with all the work they had to do.

But when he saw them, he soon realized that he hadn't been forgotten by everybody, that he still had some place in their lives, that he mattered to them.

And that made him happiest most of all.

"Yuuno-kun, we decided you needed one thing to make you happy through all this," Hayate said.

"And what's better than having a celebration party with all of your friends?" Arf replied.

"Wow...I-I can't believe you did this all for me..."

"Despite what Chrono says, you are an important friend of ours, Scrya," Signum said. A chuckle hit the air at the joke.

"Speaking of which, where is Chrono?" Yuuno asked. "I needed to tell him something."

"Oh, he won't be able to make it," Nanoha said, smiling sadly. "He got caught up in a meeting at the last minute."

"Oh." Yuuno did his best not to let worry seep into his voice. "Well, I guess he wouldn't really mind if we made jokes at his expense, right?"

Hayate laughed. "Nope, I guess not."

"Can we get on with the party?" Vita asked. Her blue eyes were fixated on the cake in front of her. "The suspense is really annoying!"

"Okay, okay," Yuuno laughed. "Might as well dig in. No one can resist Hayate's cooking for long."

Food was consumed, cider and champagne was drained, and the party continued long into the late afternoon. It wasn't until a phone call from Nanoha's home brought the party to an end, as Nanoha had forgotten that Vivio had come home early from school. With that, she and Fate rushed off, giving quick goodbyes and hugs to Yuuno as they left.

Hayate and the others were the last to leave, as the Wolkenritter, particularly Vita, were too interested in carrying leftovers home. Although Hayate scolded them for taking so much, Yuuno didn't really mind at all, graciously allowing them to take the leftovers. After all he had eaten, he didn't need too many things in his fridge. Soon, Hayate and her Knights left, with Yuuno thanking her for throwing the party.

Closing the door, Yuuno took a moment to take in his apartment. It had a totally different feel since his friends had been in it. It had certainly been better than coming home to a murder scene...

As he stumbled over to the couch, ready to rest off all that food, something else came to his attention: when he had gone through that email, he was curious to see opera tickets and a playbill on it. Of course, that had mattered little when he had finally discovered who their target was...

No. He wasn't going to think about any of the stuff that had happened last week. Today was his day to relax, and he was going to spend it gloriously.

Just as he was about to pick up the remote, someone knocked on the door. Yuuno groaned as he got up, his stomach heavy from eating to his heart's content. He hoped that it wasn't Vita looking for any missing trays.

He opened the door...and stared at his guest in utter shock.

Joseph Today was standing in the doorway, looking like someone had sprinkled glass on him. His jacket was glittering with it, as was his hair and face. But what startled Yuuno most of all were his eyes; in them was a sense of urgency he had never seen before.

"Joseph, are you okay?" he asked.

The detective put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You need to let me inside."

Yuuno frowned. "Need I remind you the last time I let someone in here, my house became a murder scene?"

"I know that, but right now's not the time to open up old wounds." The humor was gone from Joseph's voice. "What I know could be a difference between life and death for Chrono Harlaown."

Yuuno froze and stared at him. At once, a feeling of dread crept over him, and threatened to empty his lunch on the floor. Swallowing a growing amount of bile in his throat, he stumbled aside to let the detective in.

Joseph took note of the decorations and empty plates on the table. "Did you just come back from a party or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, more or less," he said. "My friends decided to celebrate my return home with a party."

"I see." Joseph threw his suitcase on the small couch in the corner of the room, sat on the other side, and looked at him. "Yuuno, have you discovered anything else about that email Mrs. Froy sent you?"

"Yeah. There was a playbill for an opera in there. It even had tickets," Yuuno replied.

"You wanna know why those were in there? It's because soon, that opera will be playing at the Cranagan Opera House," Joseph replied. "The names on those tickets are for the Harlaown family, and-"

Yuuno interrupted, already figuring out the answer. "The Polonez siblings are going to be there to assassinate him!" he said.

"You catch on pretty quick," Joseph noted.

"I was going to warn Chrono about that, since his mother roped him into going to the opera, but he didn't show up to the party..." Yuuno sunk into the couch, his head buried in his hands. "What am I going to do?"

A pounding on the door stopped Joseph from answering. Jumping off the couch, he walked over to the door uttering a stream of curses directed at the person banging on it. He flung open the door, and the swearing stopped.

The next thing Yuuno knew, Joseph flew backwards and slammed into the table, sending food and plates crashing to the floor. Yuuno leaped off the couch and ran towards the door, only for blue hoops to snap around his legs midrun. He yelled as he crashed to the floor, his nose smashing into the wood.

Clacking was heard in front of him, and he pulled himself up to see stilettos in front of him. Then someone dragged him upwards by his hair, nearly snapping his neck off with the force. Yuuno once again found himself staring into the eyes of the beautiful, dangerous Mariel Polonez, whose hands were glowing a bright blue.

"Wh...what are you..." He could barely get his sentence out before a big hand clamped around his throat.

"Sorry to barge in on you, Mr. Scrya," Mariel stated coolly, "but we're here to pick up Mr. Today. He's coming with us."

"Says who?" Joseph yelled. It soon turned into a scream as blue hoops linked around him as well.

"Says us." Atenza's voice was practically roaring in Yuuno's ears. "That was a really clever identity you pulled on us, Joe. But even you can't keep ahead of us for long."

Jasper walked past Mariel and dragged the detective to his feet. Despite his small size, he was incredibly strong, and he pushed Joseph next to Yuuno. The librarian could see that he was very afraid of these three, if the sweat on his face was of any indication.

"We'll be taking you and Scrya to an undisclosed location," Atenza said. He let go of Yuuno's throat, allowing him to get some much needed air.

"Why am I going?" he asked.

"It's because you know too much, bookworm," Jasper snapped. "Also, we know that if Mr. Artsy disappears, you're gonna squeal."

"And in order to prevent that, we're going to take you with us," Mariel said.

"Terrific," Yuuno deadpanned.

"Come on. We don't have much time before someone sees us," Jasper said.

With a rough shove, Yuuno marched ahead of the three assassins, Joseph in front of him. He was preparing calculations for a transport spell, and did his best to keep the energy minimum.

Cold steel pressed against his neck. "Keep walking, blondie," Jasper snapped, "we don't have all day."

"I could walk faster if you'd take these chains off my legs," Yuuno retorted.

"Oh for-" Mariel sighed as she pointed her hands at Yuuno. "You'd better not try anything funny, Scrya. Jasper isn't the sharp shooter of our group for nothing."

"Oh, I wouldn't _dream_ of doing that," Yuuno replied.

The binds disappeared, and he obediently walked down the steps leading outside. A blast of cold air climbed over his body, and Yuuno immediately remembered that he hadn't brought his jacket. He found himself walking towards the large parking lot across the street, where a long, black van sat idly by. Jasper walked ahead and opened the first two doors. Once they reached the doors, Atenza rudely shoved them inside, nearly causing Yuuno to crash into the floor. Jasper laughed, and Atenza scoffed.

"Quit playing around, and get in," he growled, and stalked off to the front of the van. Yuuno got up and sat on the very end, while Joseph sat next to him. His face was chalk white with nervousness.

The doors slammed as all three assassins got into the car. The driver slammed on the pedal, lurching out into the street and nearly taking off the fronts of three cars. After that, they slowed down, but not by much, and since they were still in the neighborhood, they were flying up and down speed bumps. Yuuno hit his head three times on the roof, and barely managed to get his seatbelt on before he could flew forwards into the first passenger row.

"Hey, keep still back there!" Mariel snapped, and turned around.

As Yuuno finally managed to get his seatbelt on, he happened to steal a look over at Joseph. The detective seemed calmer, but the creases in his brow let Yuuno know that the detective was deep in thought, possibly preparing a battle plan in his head. Yuuno was also thinking of other plans as well, especially how he would make it out of this alive.

Somewhere along the line, the rhythmic moving of the car made him drowsy. He decided to lay his head against the window for comfort, the sounds of the conversations fading away. He heard Joseph snap something at the siblings, but he barely heard it as he drifted off...

Just when he fell asleep, the car screeched to a stop, nearly throwing him into the seat. He jerked awake, wiped saliva from his mouth, and looked around hurriedly. The engine cut off, and then lights went on in the car as Mariel and Jasper got out of the car. Atenza pulled out one pair of handcuffs, and linked each one to the men's wrists.

"What in the world is this-"

"It helps if we keep you and the detective together. You stay, he stays. We're going to check out this location, and then we'll drop you off here," Atenza said. He then got out of the car and slammed the door. The lights went off, leaving Yuuno and Joseph in the car.

"And if I go, you go," Yuuno muttered. He turned to the other detective. "Come on. We're getting out of here."

"I can see their silhouettes," Joseph said. "They're at most thirty feet away. Wish we could teleport out of here."

A bright green orb of light appeared in Yuuno's palm. "Your wish has been granted."

* * *

"Is this the right place?" Jasper peered into the darkness at the small shed in front of him. "It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be..."

"Who cares, as long as we've got a place to dispose of them," Atenza muttered. He turned towards his sister. "I honestly don't see what you like in that bookworm, Mariel. He's obviously a few years your junior."

"I know that. It's his intelligence that draws me to him. He has all the knowledge of the world at his fingertips. Plus, he is rather handsome, don't you think?"

"Even so..."

"I really would hate to get rid of him. He would make an excellent addition to our group," Mariel said.

"What makes you say that?"

"His skills with binds and shields would be put to good use in our operations. Plus, he's a librarian. He could do all the research for us," she continued.

Atenza seemed to take a vague interest. "I'll think about it, Mariel. Come on, I need to open this thing before we can throw those two inside."

The minute they started walking towards the shed, a bright green glow cast over them. They turned around, startled, to find the inside of their van glowing. Atenza squinted, trying to see what was going on. When he saw the outlines of two bodies in the light, his eyes widened in shock.

"Crap! JASPER!" he yelled, turning towards the sharpshooter. Jasper dropped his crowbar and took off running for his boss, and all three rushed across the field. They were halfway towards the van when the ground beneath them suddenly disappeared.

It had occurred to Atenza that there had been a small incline they'd had to climb up earlier. It was pretty steep, and slippery from the rain that had come a few hours before. The next thing he knew, he was sliding down the incline, his feet sliding as they struggled to find good ground. He heard a small scream from his sister, and a full on one from Jasper, who was rolling down the hill like a tumbleweed.

When they reached the bottom, the glow had stopped. After helping Jasper up, they raced towards the van, threw the doors open...

...and found that both Yuuno and Joseph were gone.

Atenza began to swear profusely, while Jasper merely reached into the glove compartment. He tossed two flashlights to the siblings and pulled out his gun.

"Aren't you going to get a flashlight?" Mariel asked.

"Got one on my gun," Jasper replied. "They couldn't have gotten far."

"I can't believe that he used a teleportation spell," Atenza muttered. "I underestimated his skills..."

"Well, there'll be no more of that," Jasper muttered. "The minute I find that man, I'm gonna kill him."

"Not until my brother has made his decision," Mariel snapped.

Jasper looked confused. "What decision?"

"I'll tell you later. Now, let's move!"

* * *

The forest was cold and dark, save for a small Mid-Childan circle that rotated on the ground. A bright green flash enveloped the area as two figures appeared in the middle of the forest.

Yuuno stood in the middle of the circle, panting heavily from the effort. Joseph pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket, shining a beacon of light through the forest.

He then looked down at the archaeologist. "You okay, Scrya?"

"Yeah. I didn't think I would have to get through a defense grid that covered the car..."

"That must've been their way of making sure that we don't make any sudden escapes," Joseph said. "You can still use your magic, right?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, I won't have to get into a fight with those three..."

"We'll deal with that later. Right now, we need to get as far away from them as possible, and get these cuffs off us," Joseph said. "Follow me."

Standing up and brushing himself off, Yuuno followed the detective through the dark forest. "I hope that we'll make it out of this alive..."

"I hope so, too, Scrya. I have a family waiting for me back home, and I promised that I wouldn't get myself killed on the job. I have to solve this case as fast as possible...for their sake," he said.

"I may not have a family like you do, Joseph, but I understand what you mean. I don't want my friends to be put in danger, and I certainly don't want them thinking I've been kidnapped," Yuuno replied. "That's why I'm helping you out on this; to protect the people most important to me."

Joseph's mouth twitched into the faint ghost of a smile. "Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices to protect those you care about. Some are small, others are huge. We may not like making them, but we'll do them anyway, in order to protect those we care about."

Yuuno stared at him. "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, I got it a book somewhere," he said. "Can't remember which one, though. I don't think I even finished it..."

"Maybe after this case is over, you can finish it," Yuuno encouraged.

Joseph laughed, and then grew quite as he stared at the sky. "Maybe, Scyra. Maybe I will."

That was the last thing he said as they continued their journey through the dark, cold forest.

* * *

Due to Christmas and New Years, I wasn't able to get the next chapter done until now. I decided to add a few more things to this chapter, including some character development for Joseph and the Polonez siblings, particularly Mariel. I also wanted to show why there were opera tickets in that email that Mrs. Froy sent Yuuno. Next chapter, I think we might take a little break from Yuuno and focus on Chrono, Nanoha and the others. Imagine their reaction when they find out that ferret boy's missing...

Chapter 8 will be a little shorter, but as for how short, I don't know. I never set limits for my chapters, usually writing until I feel that it's a good place to stop.

Hope this chapter satisfied you guys, and please review! Again, Happy New Year!

God Bless, iheartgod175


	8. The Discovery

**This chapter is going to be short. Very short. We'll take a little break from Yuuno and Joseph in this one; as our dear ferret boy's been kidnapped and stranded in the middle of nowhere, it's going to be interesting to find out how Nanoha and the others are going to take it.**

**Disclaimer: Haha. No.**

* * *

Chapter 8: The Discovery

_(The next day...)_

Chrono wasn't a man of many emotions. This had naturally come about from his training as an Enforcer and then later as an Admiral; no matter what the situation, he made sure that he was calm, in control and didn't explode.

However, every now and again, there were exceptions to that rule-especially when his mother was involved.

When he saw the outfit that she had bought for the opera they were going to see that weekend, he couldn't keep calm, remain in control, and not explode.

"M-Mom, this is insane!" He stared at his clothes in utter shock. "There is no way I'm wearing this to the opera!"

His mother's face was plastered with a smile. "Oh, I'm sure you will, with the right motive. Do I need to get Yuuno to post that picture on Facebook like he was planning to?"

Chrono swore he felt the room temperature drop a few degrees. "...Fine, I'll wear it."

A choking sound came from the other side of the room, and it wasn't hard to find out who it was.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hayate Yagami couldn't hold in her laughter much longer and was currently struggling to keep herself from falling to the floor. Behind her, Arf was snickering.

Ignoring them, the thoroughly flustered Admiral took the moment to look down at the costume he was wearing. It was...extravagant, to say the least. It was a deep red, decorated with gold and poofy frills. Apparently, he was supposed to represent one of the characters in the opera; some ambassador or emissary or something. When he had tried the ridiculous thing on, he found that the pants were so tight that he could barely walk, and that he could barely breathe in that outfit either. If he had to go to the opera house dressed like this, he would never make it before he would pass out.

However, he'd be willing to put up with the stupid costume as long as nobody took any pictures, Yuuno in particular. Chrono hadn't realized just how mischievous the librarian was...which came back to haunt him after a _very _embarrassing picture of him emerged on Facebook after the New Years' party. Yuuno had claimed that he was just posting pictures of the events, but Chrono knew it was payback for the "ferret cage" joke he'd played during the Christmas party a few years back.

That little ferret was going to get his someday...

The moment was interrupted when Fate came back in from answering a phone call. Chrono didn't even know that she had left the room, but he could immediately tell from the steely look on her face that it was serious.

"Everything okay?" he asked, while looking for something to pull the dreaded thing off.

"No, it's not okay. I just got a call from one of the officers at Cranagan," she said. "The Polonez siblings have struck again."

"Oh great..." Chrono really didn't feel like dealing with those assassins again. "Care to explain what's happened?"

"Well, there's been another dead body found outside the hospital. It was very professional; barely any blood came from his body," she explained. "That person also had his car stolen. Teana's also interviewed the owner of a dealership who says that they paid for one of his full size vans in cash. We tracked the van's last known location to Yuuno's apartment complex. We got there to see if Yuuno knew anything...and he was gone," she said.

All heads snapped towards Fate in an instant. The laughter was quickly gone from Lindy's and Hayate's faces, Arf looked worried and Chrono was concerned.

"This...this is a joke, isn't it?" Hayate said shakily.

"I'm afraid not. Someone broke into his house, because the door was wide open, and there had been signs of a struggle. I don't think Yuuno would've gone without a fight," she said. "There had been another car there that belonged to Joseph Today, who's supposed to be at the art show at Hotel Augusta soon. We haven't found any traces of him either."

"Are you seriously saying that both of them were kidnapped?" Arf asked.

"That's what I think. I found a wallet belonging to Joseph that was buried in the cake we had yesterday. They didn't take anything else with them," Fate replied.

"...You know what? It's about time we closed this case," he said. He turned to his mother. "I'm sorry, Mom. But we'll have to put the opera outing on hold until we put these crooks behind bars."

"No need to apologize," she said. "You do have a job to do, Chrono. Also...you don't have to wear the outfit."

Chrono sighed. At least one good thing had come out of this. "I'll make note of that. Anyway, we need to send out a Missing Persons alert immediately. Fate, I'm going to have you contact every Enforcer in the area and have them search for Yuuno, as well as those siblings," he said.

"I should also got to talk to Nanoha and tell her what's going on," Hayate said.

"Yes," Fate said, and rushed out of the room, Arf following her. Hayate barely caught the door before it slammed shut. Lindy noted Chrono's tense expression, and looked at him questioningly.

"Chrono? Are you alright?" she asked.

"I should've never left him alone..." Chrono's right hand was balled tightly into a fist. "What did that little ferret do now to get himself kidnapped?"

"I'm not sure, but if I were you, I would do everything in my power to make sure that he comes home safely," she said. "He is one of your friends as well. Plus...you need to keep Nanoha from going out there and personally confronting those two. I think we know what'll happen if she does."

"Yeah.. I don't think we need her flat out killing anybody...yet, anyway. That's up to the judge to decide when we finally arrest them."

"Well, we'd better get going," Lindy said. "The sooner we get done with this case, the better."

"Give me a minute, okay? I need to get out of this outfit before I suffocate," Chrono said.

As his mother left the room, Chrono let out a hearty sigh. It had been little over a week since Yuuno had been shot, and the next thing he knew, the Librarian had been kidnapped. There was no doubt in Chrono's mind that Yuuno had been taken because of what he knew.

_You probably knew a little too much about those plans, ferret boy...__  
_

* * *

Teana stared at her computer screen, completely startled by what she was reading. When she had pulled up the list of contacts on Yuuno's computer, she had found two emails from the late Mrs. Froy: one asking Yuuno for help, and another listed 'Secret Plans'. When she had clicked on the email, it opened up to a document that included pictures of an opera house, a playbill, and a layout for one of the theaters.

"What could this possibly mean?" she muttered as she scrolled down, her eyes barely flickering over the pages she passed. She got down to the last page...and thought that her heart would stop.

In her shock, she barely heard the sound of the door opening and heels clacking on the floor. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she jumped.

"O-Oh! Sorry to frighten you, Teana," Fate said.

"Oh, Fate-san!" Teana laughed nervously. "Sorry. I was just in the middle of reading..."

Fate's smile disappeared as her eyes wandered over the pictures up on Tea's screen. Her skin paled and her eyes widened in horror.

"By the Kaiser..." she gasped.

The target on screen was none other than Nanoha Takamachi.

* * *

"Mama, when will Fate-mama be home?" Vivio asked.

"She should be home soon, Vivio," Nanoha replied. "She's still working on the case of those assassins...I hope she's not working overtime..."

It was just then that the communication window chimed. Vivio jumped off the couch to answer it, and saw the rather anxious face of her godmother.

_"Vivio! Is Nanoha there? I need to talk with her right now!"_

Vivio noted how concerned her godmother looked, and asked, "What's going on, Fate-mama?"

"I'm curious as well, Fate-chan," Nanoha said, wiping her hands on her apron. She'd been in the middle of making dinner. "You look awful..."

_"Nanoha, I need you and Vivio to pack your things, and get out of the house. I'll meet up with you two eve-"_

"F-Fate-chan, slow down!" Nanoha said. "What do you mean, we have to leave?"

_"Nanoha, I just found out who the Polonez siblings are after," _she said.

"Well, who is it?" Nanoha was starting to feel just as anxious as Fate was. She could tell that the blonde Enforcer was hesitating, as though what she had to say would shatter her.

What Fate said next, however, nearly did.

_"It's you."_

Nanoha barely had anytime to process this before the doorbell rang. Seeing as her mother was in a shocked state, Vivio ran over to the door and answered it. Standing there at the door was her aunt Hayate, still dressed in uniform and looking like the wind had torn up parts of her hair.

"Hi, Auntie Hayate!" Vivio chirped.

"Hi, Vivio," Hayate replied, smiling back. "Is Nanoha-mama home?"

"Yup, although she's in the the middle of a phone call with Fate-mama." Vivio's face fell as she turned to look at Nanoha, who was deep in conversation with Fate. "Fate-mama says that we have to pack up and leave soon."

Hayate was confused. "Why?"

"She said something about Nanoha-mama being 'targeted'," Vivio responded. Before Hayate could respond, shouting started coming from the other side of the room.

"But, that's crazy, Fate-chan! Why they kidnap Yuuno-kun?! He doesn't have anything to give them!" Nanoha shouted. "And on top of that, why are they targeting me?!"

Hayate stiffened, and turned towards the holoscreen. "What do you mean, Nanoha-chan's being targeted?"

Both women jumped, startled by the brunette's presence. "Oh, Hayate-chan...we didn't hear you come in," Nanoha stated nervously, trying to regain her composure.

"I can tell." Hayate made her way over to the holoscreen, her face set into a hardened expression. "Fate-chan, I hope you have an explanation for this."

Fate started talking.

* * *

In the main entrance of the office, a darkly clad figure watched the scene unfold on the holoscreen in front of her. Her eyes were hidden by a thick pair of shades that covered her eyes. The smile on her face, however, was a clear sign that she was enjoying this far too much.

"Well, this certainly is an interesting development. I can't wait to see what happens next."

With that, she turned away and walked off without another word.

* * *

I know what you're thinking: the target was already revealed to be Chrono. But could there be another target as well? Or...is the cast being set up? You decide!

It looks like Yuuno and Joe are going to have a tough case on their hands. With only a few days until the assassins' intended destination, it's a race against the clock to save their friends before it's too late. Also, you'll learn who this other mystery person is in due time...

Read and review please!

God bless, iheartgod175


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